Why is there residue in the empty bottle of wine?

Question

I was working in a wine bar last week - serving wine produced at the owner's personal vineyard. At the end of the night I noticed that in the empty bottles of the house red wine was dark solid deposit - like a residue? what do you think it was and what are the causes?

Answer 1

When wine is made, it starts out with quite a bit of solids in it - grapes, yeast, and so on. Sugar and later alcohol dissolve in water (which is of course the major component of the grape juice) but many of the rest of the raw ingredients don't. As the wine ferments, most of these solids sink to the bottom, and when the wine is decanted into bottles, this sediment gets left behind. However, some of the solids are in very small particles which end up in suspension in the wine (not dissolved, but in such small particles that they are too light for gravity to make them sink to the bottom unless left undisturbed for a very long time). As the wine is fermenting, there is so much of this that the wine is actually cloudy, and there are various techniques employed at the end of fermentation to clarify the wine. Sometimes of course, this process does not work perfectly, and some particles are left in the wine. If the wine is then left undisturbed, it will sink to the bottom of the bottle and form this residue you saw. So basically the answer is that it's particles of grape skins, dead yeast cells, etc.

It could be that the vineyard owner either deliberately chooses not to employ one of the chemical clarifying techniques, or simply that he hasn't mastered it. You should ask him!

Answer 2

Wine Residue

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why is there residue in the empty bottle of wine?
I was working in a wine bar last week - serving wine produced at the owner's personal vineyard. At the end of the night I noticed that in the empty bottles of the house red wine was dark solid deposit - like a residue? what do you think it was and what are the causes?

Answer 4

This is the lees, which is residue of dead yeast cells and other solids which may have been left behind in the process of draining the wine off the fruit and clearing it later either by using egg white or fine filters. It isn't harmful, but if there is a lot the wine may need decanting (transferring to a decanter or another bottle) before being brought to table.

Answer 5

Lees or leftover yeast particles. It could also be tartrites (sp?). It is harmless but some restaurants will decant a wine so that the residue does not end up in the glass. I'm assuming since this is a house wine that it is not overly old so normally you would not decant but there is no reason why you couldn't.

Answer 6

Dishwashers won't work; the necks are too small to get water into the bottles. Actually, you don't need to sterilize, just sanitize. When I get new (to me) bottles, I start with a soak overnight in a mix of bleach and TSP in hot water. The labels usually fall off and internal crud is loosened or floated out. Scrub with a bottle brush. Then triple-rinse. I may or may not follow that with a rinse with a sanitizer like One Step. If I have emptied the bottle, I immediately rinse it out before setting it aside for sanitizing and just use the One Step on those.

Answer 7

That's "lees" or dead yeast particles. Very common in all wines, but especially in those not filtered or filtered just once through a big-hole membrane.

Lees do not do any harm to people, may just make the wine a bit hazy. Some people like it, some people don't.
To avoid it (mixing lees with wine) handle the bottle with care, do not stir the wine and either pour carefully or decant it.

Answer 8

They are the tannins as the wine matures. This is probably a good sign of proper aging. Also, you probably notice it here more than your normal bottle of Glenn Ellen or whatever because your boss makes his own wine and has decided not to "fine" or "filter" it. Most major wine labels do this, and it removes alot of the sediment. However doing this tends to remove the flavor which is why alot of small winemakers like avoid it.

Check both these out.

http://www.fineliving.com/fine/favorite_things_essentials/article/0,1663,FINE_1426_1923876,00.html

http://www.cheresources.com/winezz.shtml

Answer 9

HOME BREWERS LIKE MYSELF LEAVE WHAT WE CALL SEDIMENT OR YEAST THAT HAS SETTLED OUT. IT CAN BE FILTERED OUT BEFORE BOTTLING BUT HOME WINE MAKERS PREFER TO LEAVE THE WINE AS IS.
WHEN YOU FILTER WINE YOU CAN TAKE AWAY ITS CHARACTER AND BALANCE.
THE YEAST SEDIMENT WONT HURT YOU AT ALL. IN FACT ITS LOADED WITH VITAMIN B. THE SAME THING ARE BODY LOSES WHEN WE DRINK TO MANY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS.
IN THE BEER THAT I BOTTLE I COUNT ON THE YEAST TO GROW AND MAKE SEDIMENT SO IT CAN CAUSE CO2 IN THE BOTTLES BEFORE DRINKING. ITS THE FIZZ LIKE IN SODA POPS.
SO NO WORRIES ABOUT THE SEDIMENT.
ITS THERE TO HELP NOT TO HURT.

Answer 10

The wine may have been stored improperly and gotten too hot. Wine should be stored in a cool, dark place on its side to prevent the cork from drying out.