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What are tartrates?
“Tartrate crystals are as natural to wine as seeds are to a watermelon.” — Ronn Wiegand, Master of Wine/Master Sommelier

Tartrates, affectionately known by industry professionals as “wine diamonds,” are tiny, crystalline deposits that occur in wines when potassium and tartaric acid—both naturally occurring products of grapes—bind together to form a crystal. Tartrates are scientifically known as potassium bitartrate, which is the same thing as cream of tartar used in cooking. They are completely harmless and natural.

Why do wine diamonds form?
Tartrates are a normal by product of wine as it ages—but if the wine is exposed to temperatures below 40°F, wine
diamonds can form within one week of a wine bottle’s exposure to extreme temperatures (think a bartender’s cold
box where beers, wines and juices are all stored at the same temperature). It is these chilly conditions that make
the tartaric acid compounds in a wine naturally combine with potassium to form a crystal.

Why does tartaric acid remain in wine?
All wine contains naturally occurring organic acids (malic and tartaric acids being the primary ones). Malic acid
can almost entirely be converted to the weaker acid, lactic, through a bacterial fermentation. Tartaric is the primary
acid we taste in all wines; it is essential to a wine’s mouthfeel and balance. Tartaric acid tends to be more stable in
wine, unless the wine is exposed to very cold temperature. Ensuring the perfect balance of these acids in a wine
while minimizing the chance for wine diamonds to form is truly where art and science converge.

What methods are used to remove tartrates?
Winemakers do employ a process called cold stabilization to remove tartrates from wine before it is bottled. Many
producers do use this technique for purely aesthetic reasons with the hopes of eliminating wine diamonds. The old
standard for cold stability in winemaking was 28°F for 10 days, which is only acceptable if you are selling a product
that is mass-marketed at a very low price. Very cold stabilization can often strip a wine of its aromas and
flavors, so we cold stabilize many of our wines to a less extreme temperature (38°to 40°F), depending on the
delicacy of the vintage. Maintaining our quality and consistency is critical to our reputation, so we don’t resort to
extreme measures of cold stability that put quality of taste at risk.

Do tartrates affect the quality of the wine?
No. Actually, the presence of tartrate crystals is viewed by many winemakers, sommeliers and academics as a sign
of quality, indicating that the wine was not over-processed. Wine crystals never impart an unpleasant taste.

How do you identify wine diamonds?
Potassium bitartrate can resemble crystallized sugar granules or crystal shards as they fuse together. They may appear as a powdery white substance at the bottom of a wine bottle. The crystals can also stick to the bottom of the cork.

How can tartrate crystals be avoided?
If possible, wines should be stored at 55 to 60°F and only chilled down to 45 to 48°F just prior to serving to mitigate the formation of crystals. When possible, wines should not be stored in refrigerators overnight.

How should I serve wine that has tartrate crystals?
If wine diamonds appear on a cork, simply wipe them away with a cloth. If their appearance in a glass is disagreeable to the consumer, decant the last quarter-bottle of wine, leaving any crystals behind. Pouring through a cheesecloth is also acceptable. Keep in mind, tartrate crystals are completely natural and harmless.

By Courtney Clark
NewMexicoHomes

St. Clair began in 1984 in New Mexico, but its roots date back even farther. The owners, the Lescombes family, are sixth-generation French winemakers. Hérve Lescombes operated a winery, the Domaine de Perignon, in Burgundy before moving to New Mexico to expand the family legacy. Here, he first planted the seeds (literally) for St. Clair in 1981. Today Emmanuel and Florent Lescombes run St. Clair, the largest winery in the state. Emmanuel is the viticulturist, the one who oversees the growth of the grapes and the vineyard’s operations, while Florent is the manager and proprietor. As Florent says, their “passion for making great wines is only surpassed by our desire for them to be shared in good times.” – Read more here

(DEMING, NM) — Just in time for summertime cook-outs and celebrations, The Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago has released its ratings from the World Wine Championships, “U.S. Summertime Whites.” It seems like a natural fit that wines grown and crafted by St. Clair Winery in the heat of the desert southwest would be perfect to enjoy during sunny, summer days. It turns out the contest judges agreed and awarded five medals, along with point ratings, to the local New Mexico winery, including a Gold Medal and 90 point rating for their Malvasia Bianca.

“Ninety points is considered an exceptional wine,” explained Florent Lescombes, Proprietor at St. Clair Winery. “We’re so proud to be able to craft such high quality wines locally here in New Mexico.”

“So many of our aromatic white wines grow with such character and expression,” said Matt Kahl, Winemaker at St. Clair Winery. “There’s something special about growing wine grapes in the desert, the way the temperature, sunshine and soil help to build their flavor. Our winemaking techniques focus on carefully preserving that natural beauty in each varietal.”

Along with the Malvasia Bianca, St. Clair also brought home silver medals for their Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio and their D.H. Lescombes Sauvignon Blanc. Winning national awards isn’t a new thing for St. Clair Winery. In 2009 and 2011, they won the Sweepstakes Award at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, awarded to the best red and white of the entire competition.

“It’s great to be recognized,” Lescombes added. “It solidifies what we already believe to be true.”

The Beverage Testing Institute uses a dedicated and controlled tasting lab at their Chicago location. They were founded in 1981 with the objective of producing fair and impartial wine reviews for consumers.

St. Clair Malvasia Bianca is available – along with many other award-winning varieties – from St. Clair Winery’s website at www.stclairwinery.com, and at St. Clair Winery locations in Deming, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Farmington. It is also sold at various grocery stores, liquor stores and wine shops around New Mexico. Open since 1984, St. Clair Winery also recently announced they were a food-grade certified facility. Open 7 days a week, the Deming location can be reached at 575.546.1179.

While New Mexicans have been raising a glass of St. Clair wine over the past couple of years, the staff at the winery have been raising the bar on quality.

St. Clair just received food-grade certification from ASI, a national industry group that has standards above those of the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, making them the first winery in New Mexico and the Southwest to attain the designation, said Daniel Gonzales, creative director for St. Clair Winery.

“We are going to produce a higher quality of wine, respond to customer needs, and more efficiently track what goes into the product,” Gonzales said. “It also opens up a lot of doors for us.”

National stores like Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and Costco use the certification when deciding whether to carry brands in their markets, Gonzales said.

The two-year process involved analyzing the standards including everything from streamlining processes to documenting every step of the production, from procedures in the field to the time bottles are uncorked at customer’s tables, said Macaryo Argott, the company’s production manager. The initial challenge came in changing employees mindset and getting everyone to buy into the new process.

“This winery has been here a long time and it was a trial to get the old timers to jump on board. Then getting to the nitty gritty, picking up brooms and dustpans and cleaning and understanding why we were doing it.” Argott said.

General manufacturing practices, tracking product from field to glass, documenting with paperwork every step of the way and using only approved vendors were just some of the steps along the way, he said.

Ziedney Valenzona was hired to fill a newly-created quality control manager position and is in charge of monitoring standards, daily walk-through inspections, water safety supply testing and machinery cleanliness.

Landing the first such designation in the region is a point of pride to be shared by all New Mexicans, given the state’s status as the first wine-growing region in what is now the United States.

“It’s something to be proud of,” Valenzona said. “It’s not only built teamwork here but building a future for the company. They are doing great but they want to do better.”

Deep roots

This isn’t a new school of thought for the Lescombes family, who has a six-generation history of wine making. Hervé Lescombes started his vineyard in New Mexico in 1981, driven by his determined sense of adventure and his desire to make wine with less restriction than what was allowed in France.

“The government in France would tell you how many vines and even what varietals you were allowed to grow,” Lescombes said. “I wanted the freedom to do better and do more with what I had.”

Wineries are not mandated to be certified since wine is not regulated as a food product by the FDA.

“It is a choice we made to better ourselves for our customers,” said Florent Lescombes, vice president. “We just want to strive to be the best we can.”

St. Clair joins only a handful of wineries in the U.S. to achieve such a certification.

“Not only did the team work hard towards the certification,” Valenzona said, “but we are committed to maintaining the standards to always offer the best quality wines to our customers.”