Blog posts
-
, by Justin Shayota Why Is Blanton's So Expensive?
-
, by Erik Crown Royal Launches Black Cherry Whisky Sour Cocktail
-
, by Justin Shayota The 15 Most Exciting Liquor Releases of 2024
There’s nothing quite like opening a bottle of wine and enjoying a glass with dinner. But sometimes, something just doesn’t seem right with your wine. Maybe it tastes sour or bitter, or maybe it has an unpleasant odor.
If you’re new to this world, the prospect of swirling, sniffing, and sipping can be daunting. But with a bit of practice, you will soon be able to detect the telltale signs of common wine faults.
It can be tough to tell a good wine from a bad one, especially if you’re not familiar with the different faults that can occur. No one wants to drink a wine that is off.
This flaw is discernible by the smell of a wet dog or moldy newspaper and can often be detected in wines that have been exposed to light for an extended period. The culprit here is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) which is found in cork and can cause such unpleasant aromas as well as having negative effects on wine’s color and flavor.
There are no treatments available for those suffering from cork taint, so it behooves you to store your wine carefully – keep bottles away from sources of heat and light.
Oxidation results in the losing its fruit flavors, becoming dull, and showing less bouquet. It is caused when oxygen comes into contact with the wine. The result is usually a browning of the color due to the formation of melanoidins which are byproducts created during partial oxidation.
This flaw can also have an effect on wine’s clarity if it has not been filtered before bottling. Bottles should be stored lying down to prevent the cork from drying out, thus preventing air from reaching the wine.
These wines should be drunk within a few years after purchase at most in order to enjoy their intended flavors and aromas.
This flaw is caused by exposure to oxygen while still in the barrel and can be recognized through its sour taste and vinegary aroma. A few hours after opening, these wines will often lose their red color and instead take on a brownish hue due to the oxidation that acetaldehyde causes.
Chardonnay aged in oak barrels is more likely to contain this fault as it hastens the aging process. While not an ideal solution, chilling these bottles for several hours might slow down the production of acetaldehyde, thus allowing you time to finish your glass before it turns completely brown.
Otherwise, decant these wines into a bottle you won’t mind dumping out later or leave them in the fridge for a few hours to try and reduce acetaldehyde production.
This is another problem caused by exposure to light which gives the wine an unpleasant aroma often compared to that of a skunk’s spray. The cause here is the same as with VA – oxygen reacting with certain chemicals contained within the wine, including reduced sulfur compounds that are formed during fermentation.
You can recognize this flaw through its unique odor that resembles that of a wet dog, moldy newspaper, burnt matches, or burnt rubber. Wine stored away from any source of light should be spared this embarrassing flaw, but it might still be worth tasting these wines before making your final decision.
There are many methods used today to combat light strikes, including special packaging, varietal choice, or simply winemaking practices.
This is one of the most common flaws, which stems from a wine’s exposure to oxygen while still in the barrel. During oxidation, acids in wine react with oxygen which results in hydrogen ions, thus creating this flaw. It can be recognized through its sharp sour taste and tart aroma.
While not fatal, wines containing this flaw often come across as unbalanced and detract from your experience when drinking them. These will benefit from decanting and should be drunk within a few years after purchase at most.
There are no known treatments for this flaw at present, but some winemakers have been known to inject CO2 into wines with sour/acidic characteristics.
This flaw is similar in nature to the previous one in that it gives off odors resembling boiled vegetables, sweaty socks, or manure. It’s caused by currently unknown factors but could be due to the development of bacteria during winemaking or storage, which can lead to excessive concentrations of hydrogen sulfide.
Despite sounding terrible, this flaw has actually been recognized by some wine aficionados as giving their wines more character and complexity. Decanting is the usual treatment for this flaw, but there are no confirmed ways to treat it at present. These will usually benefit from decanting before drinking them within a few years of purchase.
This fault might leave you wondering what went wrong during winemaking and is characterized by the smell of vinegar or sherry in wines. The exact reason behind its formation isn’t known, but it usually arises in wines that have been exposed to oxygen, poor storage conditions, or when certain yeasts don’t ferment all sugars in grape musts.
It’s caused by acetic acid bacteria present in wines that transfer their activities into ethyl acetate when they are oxidized. While not fatal, these kinds of wines often taste bad and cannot be enjoyed when drunk.
Warmth is the usual treatment for this flaw though it might not be very effective since new wine faults of this kind usually develop in wines that have already been exposed to oxygen. These will usually benefit from decanting before drinking them within a few years of purchase.
This fault is caused by the presence of geosmin and 2 MSB compounds found inside your wine. They are produced during winemaking by bacteria capable of growing inside your barrels or through the actions of yeasts on unfermented sugar compounds like glycerol.
If you’re unlucky enough to come across one with these characteristics, you’ll know all about their smell while drinking them. The usual treatment for this flaw is to decant these kinds of wines before drinking them within a few years of purchase.
This fault might lead you to think that your wines have been burnt at the bottom because it smells like burned matches! It’s caused by small amounts of hydrogen sulfide present in wines and usually arises during winemaking when sulfur dioxide doesn’t react properly with yeast cells.
You could also detect this smell in older wines that have been exposed to excessive levels of sulfur dioxide. While not fatal, these might taste bad and cannot be enjoyed when drunk.
Firstly, you could chill your wines containing this flaw to reduce the smell of sulfur dioxide, which is responsible for its formation. You might want to consider decanting these wines for around 30 minutes before drinking them within a few years of purchase.
This fault is pretty much self-explanatory since it involves the smell of wet fur! The exact reason behind its formation isn’t known, but you can often detect this smell in younger wines, especially if they are produced using porous oak barrels during winemaking.
While not fatal, wines with mousy characteristics render them less enjoyable and cannot be enjoyed when drunk. Young wines will usually benefit from decanting, while older ones should be left to decant for around 30 minutes before drinking them within a few years of purchase.
Wine is a complex drink with many different flavors and aromas. It’s important to be able to identify the different faults that can occur, so you know what to look for when buying a bottle.
Armed with this knowledge, you can impress your friends, family, and your special someone with your encyclopedic wine knowledge the next time around. And who knows? You may even start to enjoy detecting wine faults as much as sipping on them.