3 Most Common Wine Faults that We Often Face

There’s hardly any wine lover or expert who has never experienced some of the wine faults. You take your favorite bottle of wine, the one that stays on your shelf for such a long time that there’s already dust all over it... And just now that you think it’s the best moment to open it with a good company, your nose and palate feel there’s something wrong. Well, such situations might be rare, but they happen! And when they do, it’s always good to be prepared. So, let’s see the 3 of the most common wine faults and some ways how to deal with the problem. Keep reading!

1. Oxidation

There’s no wine that guarantees it won’t oxidize at one point or another. This especially goes for white wines and rosé, by the way. So, „How to recognize them?”, you might be asking. Well, such wines usually have dull color without any richness. Normally, they are more into the brownish range. What’s more, you might notice that the wine loses its flavor in a few minutes, which makes it lack its freshness and intensity. However, you should know that oxidation is hardly any wine’s problem. This usually happens due to wrong bottle storage or it’s because of the specific bottle that you had to chance to have. Well, it happens to the best of us, so don’t take it too personally. Just take another bottle, hope for more luck and don’t forget to enjoy the evening. TIP: It would be nice, if you can store your bottles of wine in a horizontal position so that the cork is always wet. If it gets too dry, cork tends to lose its properties and that’s how it lets oxygen in.

2. Sulfites

Well, in case you reach for the glass of wine quite often, you probably know that almost all sorts contain sulfites. Some more, some less. No matter the dose, though, apparently wine producers still haven’t found a better source to protect the drink from microbiological decay. Well, there might be some stuff, but they’re definitely not appropriate for usage! And yet, if you can notice sulfur aroma, a musty smell or anything that screams “Don’t drink it!”, there’s probably a reason for it. And this reason usually carries the name ‘sulfur dioxide’. Sometimes you can solve the problem just by decanting and aerating the wine. However, if you hit the mark with the wrong bottle, have mercy on your body and just throw it away. Otherwise you’re taking the risk of having quite a bad start of the day.

3. Stopper

The so called wine corks can also do some trouble to the all-time-favorite drink’s quality. Have you ever heard of the term ‘corked wine’? Well, that’s another kind of wine fault that’s actually quite common. It comes from 2,4,6-trichloranisole (TCA) – a substance that some stoppers tend to contain. The problem is that this chemical can go into the liquid and ruin its taste and flavor as a whole. Experts say that corked wines smell and taste of humid, wet or rotten papery. In other words, it would be like tasting an old newspaper or eating wet fur. Doesn’t sound tempting, huh!? Remember that no matter how good the quality is, there’s always a chance of getting a ‘corked wine’. We just have to live with that! If you like the topic, you’ll be happy to read more interesting stories about wine and its faults in the next articles! In the meantime, check out what we’ve got for you on our Blog: 5 Wine Cellars in England that are Worth Visiting 4 Little Secrets about Wine You would Love to Know Wine & Cheese: 7 Simple Pairing Rules you Could Follow