My wine tastes Funny...! (wine faults)
- BarSomWizard
- Jun 1, 2020
- 2 min read
"Any time someone orders a bottle of wine in a restaurant, the sommelier will set their table with wineglasses and pour a taste for the person who ordered the wine for his approval.
Why the necessity to taste it first? The main reason for tasting wine is to check that it is free of any faults."
"The good news is, most of the wines are fine,only a small majority of wines can be faulty."
Most common flaws in wine
Oxidized Wine
Caused by too much oxygen exposure,can occur during winemaking, storage or shortly after opening the bottle.
Warning signs:White wines become ruddy and brownish and smell of sherry or cider, while reds turn brownish-orange and become flat with strange vinegar-and-caramelized-apple characteristic.. White wines are much more susceptible to oxidisation than reds.
Heat damage
Wine ruined by exposure to too much heat or a series of temperature spikes can lead to what’s known as ‘cooked’ or ‘Madeirized’ wine. Cooked wine is often accompanied by oxidisation.
Warning signs:Reds will exhibit prune or raisin flavors like a wine reduction sauce ,while whites will be brown, nutty and sherry-like – and not in a pleasant way.
Cork Taint (TCA) - Corked wines
TCA (which stands for 2,4,6-trichloroanisole) that found its way into your bottle somewhere in production, usually by way of the cork,although it can be present in oak barrels or processing lines.
Warning signs:wines have a dank smell reminiscent of wet newspaper, moldy cardboard or wet dog.These off-flavors dominate the corked wine, and there’s minimal fruit flavor.
Sulphur compounds
Wine is supposed to contain a small amount, both as a natural by-product and as an additive to help stabilize the wine. Problems can occur, however, when there’s too much sulphur.
Warning signs: The smell of garlic,burnt rubber, cooked cabbage or rotten eggs.Decanting may help.
Marios Constantinides Sommelier
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