I recently opened an older bottle from my cellar and it had quite a bit of sediment. Should I be rotating my bottles in the cellar so the sediment does not sit on one side of the bottle?

NO! If you know ahead of time that you'll be opening an older bottle like this, stand it up in the cellar a week to 3 days ahead of time. Otherwise, just be gentle in uncorking the bottle and decant off the sediment, holding the bottle with the side where the sediment had settled down. Use a slow, steady pour.

Why don't you want the sediment to stick to one side? You could plan your tasting to make sure you pour all of that sludge into the glass of the guy who's the biggest pain.

As far as rotating, if you're going to do that, do a half rotation a day, a double rotation on Sunday, but every third Sunday take a break and do no rotation.

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Originally posted by masonjp:
I recently opened an older bottle from my cellar and it had quite a bit of sediment. Should I be rotating my bottles in the cellar so the sediment does not sit on one side of the bottle?

Rotating bottles is an old myth. I'm not sure of its origin, but years ago I recall my father-in-law telling me that he did it, though he didn't know why. Sediment will form whether the bottles are turned or not, and its location won't have any impact on the taste of the wine; decanting should be easier if you can see a line of sediment on one side of the bottle. SD-W's advice is sound.

Couer d'Alene is one pretty, pretty town.

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Originally posted by Seaquam:

quote:

Originally posted by masonjp:
I recently opened an older bottle from my cellar and it had quite a bit of sediment. Should I be rotating my bottles in the cellar so the sediment does not sit on one side of the bottle?

Rotating bottles is an old myth. I'm not sure of its origin, but years ago I recall my father-in-law telling me that he did it, though he didn't know why. Sediment will form whether the bottles are turned or not, and its location won't have any impact on the taste of the wine; decanting should be easier if you can see a line of sediment on one side of the bottle. SD-W's advice is sound.

Couer d'Alene is one pretty, pretty town.

Good to know. I heard this from a sommelier a few years ago and it has always lurked in the back of my mind.

We've been in Coeur d'Alene five years now and abosolutly love the town.

Thanks for the help!!

I dont rotate my wines in the cellar. Just decant properly. I also have a sediment filter I use that fits tightly in the bottle.

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Originally posted by Seaquam:

quote:

Originally posted by masonjp:
I recently opened an older bottle from my cellar and it had quite a bit of sediment. Should I be rotating my bottles in the cellar so the sediment does not sit on one side of the bottle?

Rotating bottles is an old myth. I'm not sure of its origin, but years ago I recall my father-in-law telling me that he did it, though he didn't know why. Sediment will form whether the bottles are turned or not, and its location won't have any impact on the taste of the wine; decanting should be easier if you can see a line of sediment on one side of the bottle. SD-W's advice is sound.

Couer d'Alene is one pretty, pretty town.

I suspect the idea came from Champagne -- bottles of bubblie are rotated during the in-bottle fermentation stage to keep the yeast active or something, but that has nothing to do with mature still wine.

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Originally posted by RDCollins:
I suspect the idea came from Champagne -- bottles of bubblie are rotated during the in-bottle fermentation stage to keep the yeast active or something, but that has nothing to do with mature still wine.

It's called riddling, and it's done for a short period at the end just prior to disgorgement.

Yeah, with reds you want the sediment to gather on one side. Conventional wisdom is that movement and vibration doesn't do wines any good, though I'm not sure it really makes much - if any - difference.

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Originally posted by Dave Tong BBP:
Conventional wisdom is that movement and vibration doesn't do wines any good, though I'm not sure it really makes much - if any - difference.

Possible. I've read no good report that explains the impact.

However, suffice to say, rotating your bottles is a complete waste of time.

my rotating includes whenever I want to take my wine out of the fridge to take a look at them.

When holding bottle whisper "My precious" while lovingly stroking the bottle. Then replace back on shelf.

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Originally posted by SD-Wineaux:
NO! If you know ahead of time that you'll be opening an older bottle like this, stand it up in the cellar a week to 3 days ahead of time. Otherwise, just be gentle in uncorking the bottle and decant off the sediment, holding the bottle with the side where the sediment had settled down. Use a slow, steady pour.

Curious, if you keep your bottles in a wine fridge in which they don't fit standing, what would be the lesser of two evils? Standing the bottle outside at room temp for 3 days, or just popping it and dealing with the sediment?

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Originally posted by jorgerunfast:

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Originally posted by SD-Wineaux:
NO! If you know ahead of time that you'll be opening an older bottle like this, stand it up in the cellar a week to 3 days ahead of time. Otherwise, just be gentle in uncorking the bottle and decant off the sediment, holding the bottle with the side where the sediment had settled down. Use a slow, steady pour.

Curious, if you keep your bottles in a wine fridge in which they don't fit standing, what would be the lesser of two evils? Standing the bottle outside at room temp for 3 days, or just popping it and dealing with the sediment?

Standing the bottle outside at room temp for 3 days. Assuming room temp isn't 90 deg F, there's no problem at all.

And if you're that concerned, you can stand it up in the back of the fridge.

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Originally posted by g-man:
my rotating includes whenever I want to take my wine out of the fridge to take a look at them.

When holding bottle whisper "My precious" while lovingly stroking the bottle. Then replace back on shelf.

I second this.

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Originally posted by Cellar_Fiend:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
my rotating includes whenever I want to take my wine out of the fridge to take a look at them.

When holding bottle whisper "My precious" while lovingly stroking the bottle. Then replace back on shelf.

I second this.

'

A genius idea.

Some history on the rotating of bottles. No, not needed beyond the scope of this paragraph.
After ageing, the bottle is manipulated, either manually or mechanically, in a process called remuage, so that the lees settle in the neck of the bottle. After chilling the bottles, the neck is frozen, and the cap removed. The pressure in the bottle forces out the ice containing the lees, and the bottle is quickly corked to maintain the carbon dioxide in solution. Some syrup (le dosage) is added to maintain the level within the bottle.

But of course that's for Champagne, and it's done before the wine comes to market.

If someone is going to go into their cellar and rotate their bottles of red wine, well, that's a level of obsession that requires therapy.

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Originally posted by GregT:
If someone is going to go into their cellar and rotate their bottles of red wine, well, that's a level of obsession that requires therapy.

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Originally posted by GregT:
As far as rotating, if you're going to do that, do a half rotation a day, a double rotation on Sunday, but every third Sunday take a break and do no rotation.

I always figured you needed therapy, Greg.