Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site akgua.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!dlp
From: dlp@akgua.UUCP (D.L. Philen [Dan])
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: crystals in wine
Message-ID: <665@akgua.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Mar-84 12:58:22 EST
Article-I.D.: akgua.665
Posted: Mon Mar 26 12:58:22 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Mar-84 03:11:30 EST
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Atlanta
Lines: 42



    I sent this by email to wct, but I had trouble talking to 
modor!wct, probably because of security reasons.  Therefore, I 
am also posting it to the net.


  Dear W. C. Thompson,

     I recently read your article on "net.wines" concerning the
crystals in wine.  I have noticed the formation of crystals in
several types of wines and have been most puzzled by them.  Where
does the potassium hydrogen tartrate come from, and what causes it
to precipitate?  This means that the wine is saturated with KHT.  How
does this affect the taste of the wine?  It have tasted the crystals
and they are very tasteless.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out
they are not sugar or any soluable (sp?) compound like that, and yours
is the first explanation that has ever seemed reasonable to me.
I also notice that not all wines have this problem.  Notably,
the Italian wines seems to have a tendency for this, as do
some of the Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, etc. ones.  I also seen
wines that not only have crystals on the cork but also have
large crystals in the bottom of the bottle.  However, I have never
seen them in any of the California "jug" wines.  What is different 
in the vinter's process that mades a wines susceptible to throwing
crystals.
     As you see, I am most intrigued by these crystals (they are
very beautiful, as crystals go), and I am sure that there are
others who are equally as interested.  I would enjoy seeing
more posted to the net on this topic if you have any answers to my 
questions.  Otherwise email is fine.  Stop by Wente and have a 
bottle for me.

                          pulling out the cork


                          Dan Philen

                          AT&T Bell Laboratories
                          akgua!dlp