No Stupid Questions, part 1

“This might be a stupid question, but…”

Let us stop you right there.

There is no such thing as a stupid question, especially in the tasting room at Silver Thread.

We do this work – the work of wine – the making, tasting, studying, and selling of it – every day. We do not expect that our visitors do! With that in mind, we bring you part 1 of the No Stupid Questions series.

Why are there shards/sugar/salt crystals in my wine bottle?

The white crystals or flakes you sometimes find near the bottom of your chilled bottle of wine or stuck to the end of the cork are tartrate crystals. Sometimes called “wine diamonds,” these crystals are an insoluble potassium salt of tartaric acid, and are a normal byproduct of winemaking. Winemakers try to reduce tartrate crystals by chilling their wine down to very cold temperatures in the tank prior to bottling.

Stainless steel tanks at Silver Thread Vineyard.

We put all of our wines through this process, called cold stabilization, but it doesn’t guarantee the wine won’t form any crystals. Don’t be alarmed by wine diamonds. They don’t affect the taste or quality of the wine. If they bother you, use a cheesecloth or strainer when pouring the wine.

“Wine diamonds” on Silver Thread corks.

“Wine diamonds” in a bottle of Blackbird 2021.