Ever Wonder? What is Corked Wine?

In the wine world, there is such a thing as “Corked” wine. And, no, it doesn’t mean that the cork has been removed from a bottle of wine. Pulling the cork is usually a good thing. But, a “Corked” wine is actually a bad thing.

You may have had “Corked” wine and not even noticed. But, usually it’s quite apparent. That is, if you know what you’re looking for.

“Corked” wine refers to a wine that has been contaminated with ‘cork taint.’ This can happen if the wine is bottled with an infected cork. This infection occurs when natural cork fungi come in contact with certain chlorides found in bleaches and other cleaning products. This combination forms Trichloroanisole (TCA) which is what is responsible for ‘cork taint.’

This cork ‘infection’ can have two very different effects on a wine. The one that is easiest to detect is an odor that’s been compared to the smell of wet cardboard, wet newspaper, a damp basement or even a wet dog! The other less detectable effect is that the wine will seem to lack aromas and have little or no taste. This seems to be from the fact that TCA has a way interfering with your sense of smell.

So, if you pull the cork on a wine and get a musty aroma, or if you are very familiar with a wine, and this bottle just doesn’t seem anything like it should, you’re likely dealing with a “Corked” wine. Now, there’s actually no harm in consuming a “Corked” wine. But, the musty aroma or the complete lack of aroma may strongly affect your enjoyment of the wine. The literature suggests that as much as 3% of wines that are sealed with a cork will be “Corked.” So, always remember to practice the 5 S’s of wine, with one of those being ‘Smell.’ And, here’s to drinking un-tainted wine! Cheers!

Yet Another Hard Lesson on Wine Gone Bad

On a trip to wine country earlier this year, I picked up several bottles of wine. Included in my wines was a Reserve Chardonnay that I had gotten in Alexander Valley.  In the tasting room it was excellent.

After purchasing the wines, I was very careful to control their temperature by not leaving them in the car or exposing them to significant sunlight. And, while on the road, the wines always spend the night in the cool hotel room, not the car.  Once home, the wines were moved either to cool, dark closets or to the wine refrigerator (always need a bigger wine refrig!) where they are stored on their side with the cork slightly down.

For a recent dinner, I brought out the slightly chilled Reserve Chardonnay, pulled the cork and poured a glass.  I immediately noticed the color of the Chardonnay. Instead of the usual pale straw color (like the one on the left in the photo), this wine was golden-brown in color (like the one on the right in the photo). That seemed really odd.  I then took a sniff. The aroma was not that of a fruity, tropical Chardonnay. It was noticeably off. I went back to examine the cork (a natural cork) and found the issue.  The cork was completely soaked all the way through.  It had leaked and air had gotten into my Reserve Chardonnay. Ruined.

I didn't have to taste it. I already knew from the golden-brown color, the odd aroma and the soaked cork that this wine had gone bad. But, just to complete my experience, I did taste the wine. As expected, it had a very nutty (oxidized) flavor. A real let down since it was so good in tasting room.

I believe that I did everything properly on the handling and storage of this wine that I just purchased a few months ago. I just got ahold of a bottle with where the cork did not properly do its job. 

It's always such a shame to buy a really nice bottle of wine only to find that its gone bad. So, if your wine has an unusual color, odd aroma and/or a nutty taste, you'll know it's not just a bad wine, it's a wine that's gone bad.

Here's to finding lots of great bottles of wine in your future! Cheers!