How To Tell If Your Wine Is Bad

Mr. Ben ordered his favourite wine from the wine shop close to his house. He opens the bottle of wine, pour out a full glass, and something doesn’t taste quite right. But how would he know if the wine has actually gone bad, OR if it’s just an obscure, funky-tasting bottle that’s meant to taste unusual?

Here are 3 common wine faults, and how to identify them:

Corked Wine
The most common wine flaw is ‘cork taint,’ caused by a bacteria called Trichloroanisole (TCA) infecting the cork. This results in a musty cardboard, wet dog, or moldy basement smell and taste. Some wines may have a faint TCA hint, dulling aromas and flattening taste. Only wines with natural corks are affected; screwcaps and synthetic corks are not susceptible.

Reductive Wine:
Reduction occurs when wine lacks oxygen exposure, leading to the development of sulfuric compounds and a strong smell of sulfur, akin to a struck match. This issue is more prevalent in screw cap bottles than natural corks. If you encounter a reductive bottle, try decanting it; the fumes may dissipate, allowing the wine to correct itself.

Fermenting Wine:
This occurs when a non-sparkling wine develops small bubbles unexpectedly. It happens when the wine undergoes re-fermentation inside the bottle, often due to storage at excessively warm temperatures during transit or warehousing. If you experience this issue, consider returning the wine.