For those of you who have watched Wine Country, a 2019 American comedy film produced and directed by Amy Poehler, you may remember the infamous scene where the rowdy group of women are told the sediment at the bottom of their wine glasses are “wine diamonds.” As though making it sound shiny will reverse their obvious disinterest, the ladies made it very clear that the “wine diamonds” swishing around unpleasantly in their mouths were invading their palettes.
So what exactly are “wine diamonds?” The answer is sediment. Sediment is a byproduct of winemaking that usually settles to the bottom of your glass, and it can form during the fermentation process or while a wine matures in a bottle. They are completely harmless to drink and for many experienced wine drinkers, you may already know sediment can actually be a sign that you’ve gotten yourself a high-quality bottle because it means that the wine went through less processing.
Sediment is completely natural and not harmful, with most of it made up of bits of seeds, grape skin, and crystal-like tartrates. Some winemakers fine or filter their wines to remove these solids, while others prefer to leave it, believing it gives the wine more character and complexity. When wines are filtered, it not only gets rid of the sediment but it also strips the wine of quality features such as mouthfeel and even flavor expression.
So consider yourself lucky if you find diamonds in your wine, they are completely natural and harmless! For more information, email us at support@wethepeople.store.
