The larger sized particles may settle out in a day or two, but smaller particles may take several weeks to fall. Some suspended material may be so small it never completely settles out of the wine. Alternatively, most commercial winemakers would choose to filter the wine and mechanically remove the remaining particles. At this stage of its evolution, the wine may be clear and bright, but the wine probably is not completely stable. In other words, the wine may not remain in a clear condition over an extendedtime.
Most wines contain excessive amounts of protein and potassium hydrogen tartrate.
When wine is stored under certain conditions, the protein and the tartrate can precipitate out of the wine and produce a haze or a sediment. Any white or blush wine will probably be a total loss if either of these materials precipitates after the wine has been bottled. Wine stability is very important to the winemaker because of the protein and tartrate problems. Several techniques have been developed to remove excessive amounts of protein and tartrate from wine, and these procedures are part of the normal winemaking process. After the excess protein and tartrate materials have been removed, the wine will be chemically stable.