Tartrate stability: a state reached

The standard

A verified cold stability shows that a wine sheds no more cream of tartar in the cold, whether in a chill test or through the course of conductivity.

Criteria

• The dissolved tartrates are no longer at supersaturated concentration
• A cold or conductivity test shows no further crystal formation
• The state holds under ordinary storage and shipping temperatures
• It is brought about, not inborn

Distinction

Tartrate stability ≠ tartrate precipitation: precipitation is the process, stability its lasting absence. Tartrate stability ≠ microbiological stability: the latter concerns living organisms, the former only dissolved salts. A verified cold stability secures clarity, not durability as a whole.