What’s in my wine?!
Everything you need to know about the ingredients that may be in your wine and about oenology – the science of making good wines.
What is oenology?
Stabilization means making sure that the wine in bottle doesn’t change over time. Listen to Master of Wine Pietro Russo talk about it.
Did you know that a glass of wine contains over 600 compounds? Water, alcohol, acid, sugar, and much more. All these elements need to stay in harmony.
That’s where stabilization comes in. Stabilization means making sure that the wine in bottle doesn’t change over time. It keeps the wine clear from haze or deposits, stable in aromas and taste, and safe from undesired fermentation. It’s the final step to lock in the quality of a wine once in bottle, even for decades.
Even if harmless, flaws like sediments, cloudiness, or tartrate crystals can worry consumers and give a bad impression.
Stabilization preserves a wine’s clarity and balance, prevents off-flavors and undesired fermentation, and keeps the wine true to its character over time.
Winemakers have different options to stabilize a wine.
Cold stabilization by chilling the wine to avoid tartrate deposits in the bottle. Filtration and antimicrobial agents to prevent spoilage by yeasts and bacteria. Arabic gum and other natural stabilizers to improve clarity and mouthfeel. And temperature control, essential for the proper aging of a wine.
In conclusion, stabilizing a wine ensures that it stays true to the winemaker’s vision, from the cellar to your table.
Oenology
The science of good wine
