What is this stuff in my bottle of wine?!
Answers: I just got to the bottom of a bottle of 1999 chianti, and I tasted a piece of something in it. i thought it was cork at first, but it mushed in my fingers and is black. Then I poured the rest of it out and there was a lot of little chunks of black stuff. The bottle was just opened today. What is this stuff? is it bits of grapes? by the appearance and consistency, it seems more like blueberries than grapes...
It's very normal to find sediment in red wine, particularly an older bottle that has been well stored and has had time to settle. Some wines are unfiltered, leaving even more sediment in the juice. What is it exactly? It's probably for the most part tiny bits of grape skins and stems left over from the crushing and pressing process. This particulate stuff is actually a good thing - it's what gives red wine most of its tannin, which is an important element of a well balanced wine. Usually it's removed before bottling, but depending on the winemaking style, some sediment may remain.
If sediment is getting in your way of enjoying the wine, decant it by pouring the whole bottle out into a large pitcher or specialized decanter, allow the sediment to settle to the bottom, and then carefully pour off the sediment-free juice.
It's tannin- or sediment. Tannin is found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes. Wine that is fermented while still in contact with these parts of the grape – red wine – absorbs a quantity of tannin, which lends a distinct character to the wine. Because the tannin in the seeds of grapes is particularly harsh, wine is usually crushed rather than pressed, to minimize the absorption of seed-based tannin. Many wines also absorb some tannin from the oak barrels they are aged in, which lends additional flavor to the wine.
its called sediment and it happens to red wine as it ages, a wine decanter can help!