Detecting Faults in Wine Tasting
The vast majority of wine faults are detected by the nose and the distinctive aromas that they give off. However, the presence of some wine faults can be detected by visual and taste perceptions. For example, premature oxidation can be noticed by the yellowing and browning of the wine's color. The sign of gas bubbles in wines that are not meant to be sparkling can be a sign of refermentation or malolactic fermentation happening in the bottle. Unusual breaks in the color of the wine could be a sign of excessive copper, iron or proteins that were not removed during fining or filtering. A wine with an unusual color for its variety or wine region could be a sign of excessive or insufficient maceration or as well as poor temperature controls during fermentation. Tactile clues of potential wine faults include the burning, acidic taste associated with volatile acidity that can make a wine seem out of balance.
| Wine fault | Characteristics |
| Acetaldehyde | Smell of roasted nuts or dried out straw. Commonly associated with Sherries where these aromas are considered acceptable |
| Amyl-acetate | Smell of "fake" candy banana flavoring |
| Brettanomyces | Smell of barnyards, fecal and gamey horse aromas |
| Cork taint | Smell of a damp basement, wet cardboard or newspapers and mushrooms |
| Diacetyl | Smell of rancid butter |
| Ethyl acetate | Smell of vinegar, paint thinner and nail polish remover |
| Hydrogen sulfide | Smell of rotten eggs or garlic that has gone bad |
| Iodine | Smell of moldy grapes |
| Lactic acid bacteria | Smell of sauerkraut |
| Mercaptans | Smell of burnt rubber and/or cooked cabbage |
| Oxidation | Smell of cooked fruit and walnuts. Also detectable visually by premature browning or yellowing of the wine |
| Sorbic acid plus lactic acid bacteria | Smell of crushed geranium leaves |
| Sulfur dioxide | Smell of burnt matches. Can also come across as a pricking sensation in the nose. |
Read more about this topic: Wine Fault
Famous quotes containing the words detecting, faults, wine and/or tasting:
“In our Mechanics’ Fair, there must be not only bridges, ploughs, carpenter’s planes, and baking troughs, but also some few finer instruments,—rain-gauges, thermometers, and telescopes; and in society, besides farmers, sailors, and weavers, there must be a few persons of purer fire kept specially as gauges and meters of character; persons of a fine, detecting instinct, who note the smallest accumulations of wit and feeling in the bystander.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“We easily forget our faults when no one knows them but ourselves.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“Imagining that I could
A greater with a lesser pang assuage
Or but to find if withered vein ran blood,
I tore my body that its wine might cover
Whatever could recall the lip of lover.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Men
Can counsel and speak comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)