When wine is at fault?

Have you ever felt strange sensation during sniffing or after the first sip of wine? If you noticed vinegar or nail polish remover like aromas than there is a very good chance that the wine has gone bad. Technically, it is called wine fault.

The important thing to note is that the wine has faults in it and to a certain degree they are good.

However, exceeding the limit that makes the wine unpleasant and even in some cases undrinkable.

Cause of Wine Fault

So, what causes faults in the wine? There are many reasons that a wine can develop wine faults. Some of the major ones are - unhygienic conditions in the winery, use of dirty barrels for storing, aging in barrels for an extended period, use of low-quality corks or use of an excessive or insufficient amount of sulphur during winemaking or also over-extending the maceration period.

But not only this, wine can also develop faults after the wine has been bottled. It is advised to properly store the wine away from excessive heat and temperature fluctuations.

Detecting Wine Fault

It can be determined through close examination of the wine both visually and through giving it a sniff . For example, smell of burnt matchsticks indicates the overuse sulphur dioxide present in the wine or smell of vinegar can indicate the presence of acetic acid bacteria in the wine

There are also visual cues also that can tell the wine is not in best of shape. Wine with unusual color and that can be due to excessive levels of a copper and protein that should have been removed during the filtering process. If the wine is brown in color but is still young 1-2 years old, it is because of excessive oxidation that the wine has undergone.

So, the next time the wine smell of band-aids or burnt rubber or cooked cabbage, you know you have come across a faulty wine.

Have you come across bad wine before? What was it like ? You can share your experience in the comments below...