How to Spot Faulty Wine

 Have you ever wondered what to do when the restaurant waiter or sommelier if you are climbing in the world, pours you a taste? It's simple, it is so you can return it if it is defective. The problem is, how can you tell when a wine is faulty?

The Corked Wine :

Wine would not really be the same if it all came in screw cap bottles. It would however be free of cork taint. A wine is corked, if it has been in contact with a cork infected with a fungus producing 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, also known as TCA. It is this chemical, rather than the fungus itself, which mediates the bitter taste of the wine. For years, wine industry has been dogged by cork taint, and possible solutions include screw caps, beer bottle caps, man-made corks and cork sterilization using microwaves. Nevertheless, cork taint continues to treat up to 5% of all bottles of wine.

How to spot one: As with boiled wine cork can be displayed in a range from barely noticeable to very obvious. A corked wine is not one with bits of cork in it, as shown here! A refined corked wine may seem vain, a little unbalanced, unattractive, but without obvious signs of cork taint. Leave the wine for a couple hours or even days, can do the unpleasant smell characteristic of a corked wine more visible. At this point, but it is likely that you either drink it or pour it down the sink. More obviously corked wine has aromas of wet cardboard, fungi, mildew and old socks! Palate (if you get that far), will taste the same, the lack of fruit, and often quite bitter.

The Cooked Wine :

When a wine is exposed to high temperatures, the liquid expands, and several things can happen. An extension of the wine can force the cork from the bottle neck, pushing it up under the capsule. Or the wine may expand and leak around the cork. In both cases, the liquid when it cools it will contract, and this may result in air leaking in around the cork, which leads to a further problem, oxidation.

How to avoid buying one: Never buy a bottle where the top of the cork does not sit flush with or below the level the mouth of the bottle. A cork protruding from the bottle, even at a short distance away is a sure sign of a cooked wine. Another test is to try to rotate the capsule. It should rotate freely around the neck of the bottle. If not, it may be because it is stuck to the sticky residue, which resulted from leakage of wine around the stopper. And if you check the level of wine in the bottle neck, it should not be too low. There is always some slight variation between bottles, but for everyday wines levels must be good in the neck.

How to spot one: Cooked wine tastes just like that - as if they were cooked. There will be no freshness to the fruit aroma or flavor - instead you get a stewed, prune-like profile. If you get blackcurrant and fresh summer fruit, for example, then you have not had a cooked wine. On the palate, often wine seems thin, lacking body and character. As with all the wine bug, there is a spectrum of severity, and some wines may be borderline cases, so you wonder, "Is this one cooked a little?". But if you get a full blown one, you know it. Send it back!

Oxidation :

Oxygen is believed to be important in the development of wine. The interaction between wine and the small amount of air behind the cork for many years, may be one of the mechanisms by which wine develops when the bottle. It can even cause tiny amounts of air leaking past the cork over time. The wine comes in contact with free oxygen, however, whether during careless winemaking, or owing to a faulty cork, will rampant oxidation rapidly destroys the wine. Oxygen is an aggressive element, and will interact with most drugs, resulting in their degradation. That is what makes steel turn to rust, shows rancid butter and freshly cut apples brown.

How to spot one: fruitless wines with a flavor profile that resembles the old and worn Madeira or Sherry may very well be oxidized. Another term used to describe a wine is oxidized madeirised. This is due to Madeira, a classic liqueur from the Atlantic island of the same name, is made in large, open, often outdoor vats. Oxidation here is part of the style of wine, rather than being a mistake.

Sulfur :

A commonly used preservative, the addition of sulfur dioxide is practiced by many winemakers. Used wisely, it can help to stabilize the wine during winemaking process and thereafter. Used carelessly, a large amount of sulfur will produce rather distinctive aroma and taste.

How to spot one: A wine that reminds you of mothballs, burnt matches or burnt rubber is likely to have suffered a heavy dose of sulfur dioxide. An exception is the aging of Syrah from the northern Rhone, as with bottle development will often have a rubbery component in the nose, which is characteristic of the wine rather than the result of sulfur.

Sediments and Crystals :

None of these are true errors, but both have the potential to ruin the experience, unless they are understood. Settling in the bottle is a natural occurrence in many wines, usually those designed to withstand some aging, and it simply reflects the solids settling out of the wine. If poured in glass, it can be quite uncomfortable, and if this happens in a restaurant, it would certainly be a reason to complain. Wine has been decanted.

The most common crystals found in wine are tartrate crystals (especially potassium - shown here), and these are often found favor with the underside of the stopper, or in free suspension. Wines which have been cold stabilized by the winemaker have been chilled in order to bring these crystals out of solution so they can be removed. If not, they may form later in the bottle, especially if kept in a cold basement. They are not a problem, although again unpleasant if taken in the mouth, particularly if large, when they may be confused with shards of glass.

Conclusion :

Finally, modern winemaking has done much to keep the majority of wine sold today, consistent and free from defects, even though the wine is not to everyone's taste. But the defective bottles are still coming together, especially cooked or corked wine. Sometimes they are clearly not right and it's just a matter of returning it to the waiter, or the shop where you bought it. It is the more subtly flawed wines that are difficult to judge, and here it takes a certain degree of courage to complain, especially in a restaurant. If you see a wine that is similar to one described above, however, speak up. Chances are the staff know less about wine as you do, and it is likely that you will be offered a replacement, although it comes with the almost obligatory "It tastes OK to me" from manager.