Crystals made of salts of tartaric acid that can settle at the bottom of a bottle or on the cork when wine or grape juice is stored. It is a natural product and not a quality defect.
example
Am Boden der alten Weinflasche hatte sich etwas Weinstein abgesetzt.
Some tartar had settled at the bottom of the old wine bottle.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'Wein' (wine) and 'Stein' (stone). So it literally describes a 'stone from wine,' which vividly explains the crystals in a wine bottle.
EXAMPLE
Ein guter Wein kann mit der Zeit Weinstein bilden.
A good wine can form tartar over time.
Context clue
To distinguish the two meanings, pay attention to the context. If people are talking about 'Flasche' (bottle), 'Wein' (wine), or 'Traubensaft' (grape juice), they mean the crystals in the drink. In connection with 'Zähnen' (teeth) or 'Zahnarzt' (dentist), it refers to deposits in the mouth.
EXAMPLE
Der Sommelier erklärte, dass der Weinstein im Rotwein ein Zeichen für Qualität sei.
The sommelier explained that the tartar in the red wine was a sign of quality.
Typical collocations
In connection with wine, 'Weinstein' (tartar) is often used with the verb 'sich absetzen' (to settle). It is typically found 'am Flaschenboden' (at the bottom of the bottle) or 'am Korken' (on the cork).
EXAMPLE
Nach langer Lagerung hatte sich am Boden der Flasche Weinstein abgesetzt.
After long storage, tartar had settled at the bottom of the bottle.
Register and style
In the meaning of 'Zahnbelag' (dental plaque), the word 'Weinstein' (tartar) is outdated today. In modern usage, especially at the doctor's or dentist's, only the term 'Zahnstein' (dental tartar) is used.
EXAMPLE
In alten medizinischen Texten liest man manchmal noch von „Weinstein“ auf den Zähnen.
In old medical texts, you sometimes still read about 'Weinstein' (tartar) on the teeth.
Compare with
near_synonym · confusable
Weinstein vs Depot
depot / securities account
'das Depot' and 'der Weinstein' are not real synonyms in normal German. 'Depot' means a place for storage, for example for vehicles or museum pieces. 'Weinstein', on the other hand, means a natural deposit that can form in wine; the second meaning, for hard deposits on teeth, is outdated. The words can be confused if you are thinking of 'Ablagerung' (deposit) or are coming from other languages. In German, you say 'Depot' for a storage place, but 'Weinstein' for the crystals in wine.
Weinstein
Am Boden der Weinflasche sieht man etwas Weinstein, aber der Wein ist trotzdem gut.
You can see some tartar at the bottom of the wine bottle, but the wine is still good.
Depot
Die Feuerwehr lagert alte Geräte in einem kleinen Depot hinter der Halle.
The fire department stores old equipment in a small depot behind the hall.