Contents
Cream of tartar is a sediment in the form of burgundy or brown crystals that precipitate during winemaking through fermentation, aging, and processing.
What is tartar used for?
It is necessary as a raw material for the manufacture of tartaric acid, in cooking (baking), textile dyeing, and electrochemistry.
Most often, crystals form at the bottom of barrels, sometimes on the walls, during aging.
Also, tartar can appear on corks that close glass bottles with aged wine.
Due to the long (sometimes up to several years) formation, the cost of tartar is quite high.
Before the stone goes on sale
It is subjected to processing, cleaning from impurities that form during the fermentation process.
The crystals are poured with boiling water and dried clay, raw egg white and a small amount of ordinary charcoal are added to the container.
After dissolving all the components, the resulting mixture is passed through a sieve, then crystallized. This order is carried out until the crystals turn white completely.
Real cream of tartar is called cremor tartar or wine-potassium salt.
The composition includes: potassium tartrate, as well as potassium hydrotartrate (tartaric). You can buy in hypermarkets, pharmacies.
How to get tartar yourself
It is necessary to keep the wine at a temperature of +3–5 C for 2–3 months before bottling.
Next, carefully drain the product, leaving the crystals in the vessel. Depending on the amount of impurities, the precipitate contains up to 40–80% acid.
The precipitate is removed by pouring into another vessel. When it stops appearing, the drink clears up.
Thus, when decanting a young wine, you can always get a small amount of crystals.
It also settles on the walls of the barrel, in which the young wine undergoes repeated fermentation and becomes stronger, richer in taste.
Advantages and disadvantages of tartar
The advantages of wine-potassium salt in the content of a large number of minerals. The product contains:
Potassium – perfectly cleanses the body of toxins.
Iron is a necessary component for a person who participates in the formation of healthy blood, and copes well with fatigue.
Magnesium regulates blood glucose levels, helps to normalize the pulse, as well as lower blood pressure. In addition, they have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, digestive systems and are involved in the creation of strong bone tissue.
Iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland and hormonal levels in general.
Beta-carotene is a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents the development of malignant tumors.
Ready-made crystals are substances that cannot harm a person. However, with indigestion, they should not be consumed much.
Relevance: 11.11.2019
Tags: wine and vermouth