Grapevine: Yuck, Why Does This Wine Taste and Smell So Bad?
Has this happened to you? You’re at a restaurant and you’ve meticulously pored over the wine list for that spectacular wine to celebrate your special occasion.
There it is! You’ve decided to splurge on a wine you otherwise wouldn’t have the courage to order, primarily because it costs more than that entire case of Spanish wine you recently enjoyed.
The sommelier brings the bottle to the table, opens it, presents you with the cork and then pours a bit for your acceptance. Uh oh, something’s not right. Even though this may be your first experience with this particular wine and even though your expectations are sky-high, there’s an obvious problem. The wine smells bad. BAD – like a wet newspaper, a damp basement, a wet forest after a rainstorm. What to do?
You’ve just had an experience with corked wine – frequently termed tainted wine. Call the sommelier to your table; your wine will be replaced.
But now you’re curious. Just what is corked wine and how does a bottle become tainted?
Cork is a natural product, the bark of – what else – the cork tree. As such it is susceptible to penetration by airborne particles and fungi. On occasion – very rarely and very randomly – there is a chemical reaction with other compounds creating a compound called TCA. This TCA is harmless in the small quantities found in an errant cork, but it packs a wallop in your olfactory senses. The wine is unpalatable and is not salvageable.
Recently, several cork-testing companies have utilized the latest technology to test individual corks and identify tainted ones before leaving the cork warehouses. I am encouraged by this progress, but there are still many older wines in circulation that were bottled using corks having a higher incidence of tainting. Nevertheless, cork tainting is high on the radar of the cork industry and overall incidences have been declining.
Although corking is the dominant factor responsible for a “bad” wine, there are other factors that can affect a wine in such a way as to make it offensive to the nose and palate.
Two factors are the most prevalent, and are typically found in bottles in our homes, not in restaurants.
The first – maderized – occurs if wine has been exposed to prolonged heat, like storing wine on top of your refrigerator or leaving a bottle in your car on a hot summer weekend. The high temperature oxidizes the wine and imparts the highly pungent aroma and taste of Madeira wine, not what you’re expecting from that fine white or red wine you purchased. You’ve basically cooked your wine.
Another sign of maderized wine is a cork that is protruding slightly from the bottle, caused by expanding heat inside. How to prevent maderization? Proper storage. Keep your wine away from direct light at home and treat it as if it were packaged ice cream when you’re transporting it in the summer months.
The second – oxidized – occurs when air penetrates the bottle for a prolonged period of time, either from a “leaky” cork or from a partially consumed bottle (which never occurs in my home). Since wine is a living organism, air will interact with the wine, negatively changing its characteristics and “dulling” the wine, stripping it of its prime aromas and flavors, perhaps causing the wine to have a telltale vinegar taste.
How to prevent oxidation? Consume the bottle of wine. Recorking it will only prolong its consumable state for a limited time.
A side note: If there are white crystallized particles on the bottom of the cork, don’t fret; they are a natural byproduct of unfiltered wines and will not adversely affect the wine.
As in all aspects of today’s eco-environment, be cautious in your interaction with nature. Being judicious in your enjoyment of wine will minimize your risks and enhance your wine experience.
Nick Antonaccio is a 40-year Pleasantville resident. For over 20 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
