Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/59079
WINEMAKING For decades, the only sure solution was cold stabilization, chilling wine down near the freezing point for a week or two, getting the precipitation over within the winery and using enormous amounts of electricity in the process. Other tartrate compounds could be added to help in seeding the process of forming and raining crystals, and that was about it. The past few years, however, have brought two waves of alternative treatments, both the result of fancy high technology: sophisticated forms of membrane filtration that remove the troublesome chemical components (including electrodialysis and other methods), and additive products based on yeast mannoproteins or organic cellulose that disrupt crystal formation. Compared to traditional chilling, all of these approaches take less stuff out of wine and have smaller effects on organoleptic properties. In other words, we have another instance in which advanced technology comes to the aid of more natural winemaking. From Montrâchet to mannoproteins For winemaking's first several thousand years (up until about World War II), there were two solutions available for the issue of bitartrate precipitation—although no one called it that.) Wine- makers could simply ignore the deposits, figuring that having a few flakes in your flagon was a small price to pay for having wine at all. Alternately, if your winery had no heating, no insulation and freezing winters—what might be called the Burgundy mod- el—nature could clean up wine's act with no electricity needed. Either way, no effort had to be expended by the winemaker. Observers noticed along the way that barrel-aged wines, especially those with lees in the mix, showed fewer crunchers in Winemaker Elizabeth Clark of Airlie Winery in Monmouth, Ore., says that filtering wine while cold allows her to catch the most tartrates, seen floating on the surface of this tank of Gewürztraminer and on the floor after cleaning out a stainless steel tank Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 47 ( ( b a ) o e b l o w . v e ) ElizabEth clark/airliE winEry