Now that you have learned how to taste and feel comfortable with wine its time to look at some common wine faults. After reading this you should be able to feel even more comfortable with wine.
Some wines have been found to have major faults once in the bottle, so many winemakers are examining their wines prior to bottling to prevent these unwanted disasters. If care is taken throughout the winemaking process wine faults can be minimized. Preventing a problem is always in the best interest of the winemaker, however not everyone is perfect, so the winemaker will take appropriate action with some form of corrective measure. Certain faults enhance the wine creating complexity only when the fault is on the severe side it can be unattractive and often repulsive. Some common faults found in wines are:
OXIDATION/ACETALDHYDE:
This happens to be one of the most common faults found in wines today, almost every wine has some level of oxidation, the level can be very minimal only being detected by highly trained tasters. As soon as the grapes are crushed oxygen immediately starts to react with the juice compounds. One of the most obvious changes is the browning of the juice, which is why oxidation is most dangerous to white wines. The browning can be countered by additions of sulfur dioxide before crushing. Red wines are less susceptible to oxidation than whites because of their higher phenolic content (tannins) acting as antioxidants. White wine can display increased depth of color often taking on brown hues, while red will take on a brick red/brown tints and lose their attractive blue/purple color. Some typical aromas are bruised apples/pears, sherry and nutty like characters.
VOLITILITY:
This is when a wine can smell like vinegar (acetic acid) or nail polish remover yes that’s right nail polish remover commonly known as (ethyl acetate). When present in large quantities it is regarded as a major fault. All wines have some volatile acids, the most common of which is acetic acid. In the right proportions acetic acid can add to the complexity of a wine, for example Sauternes. The cause is from a bacteria rather than yeast. A wine that is found to have small amounts of acetic acid is normally blended with another wine, but if it is too high then it will most probably be made into vinegar.
CORKED:
A fault related to a wine spoiled by a contaminated cork. In wine industry terms this fault is commonly referred to TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole). Corked wine containing TCA has an obvious fault as it imparts a powerful smell that makes the wine undesirable and undrinkable. The wine will have a musty, moldy character often masking the aroma and flavor of the wine. The fault is imparted in the wine by the cork, which has been treated, as part of the normal production process with chlorine. The blame usually lies with the cork producer rather than the winemaker although it has been documented the fault can come through the cork from the cellar and their barrels. Corks are now treated in a different process thereby eliminating chlorine. Some wineries are even using synthetic corks or twist tops, which don’t look as signified as the real cork stopper, however it does limit a cork containing TCA.
HYDROGEN SULFIDE:
The smell of rotten eggs, garlic, cabbage or even onions can be very undesirable. These are the faults that are often associated with hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). It is regarded as an extreme fault and can reduce the overall aroma and taste of a wine. H2S is produced during fermentation when sulfur and hydrogen come into contact in the absence of oxygen. Grapes that have been dusted with sulfur during the growing season to prevent mildews from forming may cause this or it was a lack of nutrients for the yeast to feed on during fermentation. It is perfectly curable, by fining the wine. If it is more complex then other stages are used to remove the fault with the use of copper sulfates and carbon, which is the last resort and often has regulations and health concerns.
SULFUR DIOXIDE:
This is the winemaker’s all-purpose wonder drug and antioxidant. It is common to add some level before bottling the wine as a preventative for oxidation and with the case of sweeter wines re-fermentation in the bottle. However, if too much is added it can impart an aroma that is quite unpleasant. This particular fault is often found in young cheap Californian white wines. The convincing signs are a sharp prickly sensation in both the nose and throat. Free SO2 will combine with the wine as it ages in bottle, which means that it becomes invariably less detectable with time. If the smell on opening a bottle is overpowering, let it sit for a while first or if you can’t wait decant it and the sulfur will clear out of the wine. Twice the sulfur is used in a boxed wine as in a bottled wine. This is because boxes are more porous and the sulfur is used to counteract the effects of oxygen.
BRETTANOMYCES:
A fault commonly referred to as Brett has become a widely controversial topic in recent years. Some industry professionals have commented Brett imparts complex characters in a wine often at times improving one dimensional wines. Others view Brett as a fault making the wine unattractive through unsanitary winemaking practices. There are three aroma compounds associated with Brett, 4-ehtyl phenol (4-ep), 4-ethyl guaiacol (4-eg) and Isovaleric acid. 4-ep is often described as having a band-aid character, 4-eg often described as a smoky character and Isovaleric acid can be described as sweaty saddle, and rancid barnyard characters. Brett has been linked to winery equipment and cellars with limited hygiene, however the main troublemaker is found with oak barrels. During the maturation process wine is left in oak barrels for some time, this is where the wine drops in So2 levels increasing the chances of Brett occurring.
When you are given a wine in a restaurant or at a wine bar, make sure you smell the wine to establish whether it is faulty or not. Run through the three step process, don’t taste the wine, just smell it as you can almost periodically tell if a wine is faulty just by its smell. If you are in any doubt, about the quality of your wine, check with the waiter. Do not hesitate to send a faulty wine back to be replaced by another bottle of the same or an entirely different wine. After all, you’re the one who’s paying for it. At home much the same applies. In Colorado the emphasis is on quality wines rather than quantity so wine faults are seldom common. If you detect a fault in any recently purchased bottle of wine, assuming you have stored it correctly, return it and any reputable merchant will replace it for you.
Part 3 will give you wine serving temperatures and common tasting terms.
Happy Sipping.
Sincerely,
Corey Norsworthy
Winemaker/Marketer
Grande River Vineyards