Depot (wine)

In the wine language, the term “ depot ” is used to describe the soil that forms in a bottle of wine during prolonged storage . This “sentence” should be separated from the wine by decanting before drinking it.

The depot in red wine consists mainly of coloring and tannins , which the wine only releases after a long period of storage in partially solid form and thus excretes. It has nothing to do with tartar (which can also be part of the sediment). This can already be the case after 6 to 8 years. It mainly affects full-bodied, tannic red wines that have also been aged in oak barrels for a long time. In the past, this separation was called Décomposition in French , which means decomposition . However, since the depot makes a significant contribution to the aroma and content of the wine, it is now fully accepted as a flavor carrier, and it is viewed positively as a quality mark. As soon as a wine has a depot, it is usually already ready to drink.