Photo by Sai Balaji Varma Gadhiraju on Unsplash
Just before the wine is bottled, it may go through one of several processes to remove any remaining sediment.
The processes for removing sediment from wine include (1) racking, (2) fining or (3) filtering. Let’s take quick look at each of these processes.
Racking allows for the natural settling of the sediment to the bottom of the barrels. Then, the wine is pumped out of the top of the barrel leaving the ‘bottom of the barrel’ remains.
Filtering can also be used to remove sediment but too much filtering can remove important particles that yield a wine’s aromas and flavors.
Fining is a process that also removes sediment from wine but it’s done by adding coagulants to the wine. These coagulants immediately bind to the sediment particles and under the force of gravity, fall to the bottom of the vessel. Fining agents can include egg whites, gelatin or a milk protein called casein. In all cases, these fining agents do not remain in the wine, do not leave any residual flavor and are removed with the sediment.
The result of each process is a stable, clear and pleasant-looking glass of wine instead of something that would otherwise be cloudy-looking. Cheers!