The Quick and Dirty on Wine Flaws

Jane Lopes grew up in California’s Napa Valley wine region and it’s safe to say it had impact. She moved to Melbourne from New York in February 2017 to take on the wine director role at world-famous fine diner Attica, and the following year became the only woman in Australia to pass the prestigious master sommelier exam.

Whether you’re a boxed-wine devotee or fine-diner frequenter, Lopes’s new book Vignette: Stories of Life & Wine in 100 Bottles can guide you to getting the most from your wines (and recommends plenty of good drops).

In this edited extract, Lopes explains what it means when your bottle smells of musty newspaper, vinegar or puppy breath, and when to ask for a new one.

Below is a guide to wine faults: what they are, how to detect them, and what you can do to prevent them (or avoid coming across them). There are other issues in wine – such as volatile acidity, Brettanomyces, and reduction – that can be flaws at high levels, but can also be desired characteristics.

Cork-taint
What it is:
A compound in natural cork that can infest the wine itself or, with less frequency, take hold in cellars (so even wines not sealed under cork can be susceptible).

What it smells/tastes like:
Mould, wet dog, wet cardboard; the palate can feel hot (in terms of alcohol) and stripped of flavour.

How to prevent or avoid it:
Buy wines not sealed under cork, or from wineries that purchase very high-quality cork. Learn how to detect cork-taint so you can send corked bottles back in restaurants and return them to retailers.

Oxidation
What it is:
Oxygen exposure.

What it smells/tastes like:
Dried fruits, cider, vinegar.

How to prevent or avoid it:
Oxidation can occur naturally (or prematurely) as wine ages. Storing wine on its side keeps the cork moist and prevents oxidation. Wine also begins to oxidise as soon as it is opened, so invest in a preservation system if you like to enjoy a bottle over the course of a week.

Maderisation
What it is:
Heat exposure.

What it smells/tastes like:
Caramelized fruit, nuttiness (can also be detected by a cork that is protruding or retreating).

How to prevent or avoid it:
Don't store your wine above the fridge, or leave it in your car or next to a heat source.

Light-strike
What it is:
Blue and ultraviolet lights transforming amino acids into sulfides (and other less desirable compounds).

What it smells/tastes like:
Cabbage, sewage, musty newspaper.

How to prevent or avoid it:
Store your wine in a dark place and buy wine in darker glass bottles.

Refermentation
What it is:
When yeast activity causes wines to start fermenting again in the bottle.

What it smells/tastes like:
Wines get fizzy and cloudy.

How to prevent or avoid it:
There's not much as a consumer you can do to predict refermentation – take the bottle back to your retailer or send it back in a restaurant.

Mousiness
What it is:
A lactic bacteria taint that is not perceivable on the nose but can be quite prominent on the palate and retronasally.

What it smells/tastes like:
Natural wine advocate Alice Feiring has offered the descriptors "puppy breath" and "dog halitosis"

How to prevent or avoid it:
Low SO (sulfur monoxide) levels and poor hygiene in the winery can lead to mousiness. Make sure you know and trust the winery if it purports to be of the “natural” movement.

This is an edited extract from Vignette: Stories of Life & Wine in 100 Bottles by Jane Lopes, published by Hardie Grant Books. The book retails for $40 and is available in bookstores and online.