Wine Faults and Flaws
While wine is the perfect beverage for just about any occasion, not every wine is perfect. There are some faults and flaws to look out for as you pick your next bottle.
While wine is the perfect beverage for just about any occasion, not every wine is perfect. There are some faults and flaws to look out for as you pick your next bottle.
CORKED WINES
Corked wines bear a chemical that’ s frequently derived from natural cork closures. It’ s a musty beast that affects around 3 % of bottles globally and bears an aroma of wet newspaper and damp basement.
( TOO) OLD WINES
Too much of a good thing can be bad, and that’ s often so for aging wines. Wines can go past the point where they’ re in their prime, resulting in a faded color and a loss of structure and freshness in the taste. Taste, however, is subjective, and what one oenophile may deem too mature is another oenophile’ s treasure.
MADERISATION
Maderisation results from prolonged exposure to heat or too many temperature spikes in the storage room. A cork partially dislodged from the neck is a good sign the wine has been cooked. Maderised wines taste roasted or stewed, with a pruney flavor for reds or a nutty flavor for whites. But all is not lost; use these bottles for cooking instead.
BRETTANOMYCES
Wineries generally try to avoid Brettanomyces yeast in their wines, but it can offer a pleasant funk to some varieties such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Too much of the yeast can lend a barnyard or horsey smell to the wine and overwhelm other flavors.
REDUCTION
This is the opposite of oxidation and occurs when a wine’ s exposure to air in the winemaking process produces sulfur compounds. Some winemakers use sulfur to preserve fresh fruit aromas or add complexity, but the slight struck-match smell usually blows off during aeration. Too much sulfur, however, can lead to a rubbery, rotten egg smell. Some things that look like faults actually aren’ t, Wine Enthusiast says. Examples are:
WINE DIAMONDS
Crystallization in the bottom of the bottle is a tartrate deposit that forms when naturally occurring potassium and tartaric acid combine and sink to the bottom, forming crystals. They’ re harmless, the experts say. Sediment may look unsightly, but it’ s usually a mark of quality. It can occur when producers don’ t filter their wines to preserve flavor and texture, leaving particles that settle with time. Aging also produces sediments as acid, tannins and color compounds bond and fall. Decant the wine before serving.
June 2026 SEKY- Southeast Kentucky Life • 31