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The main faults of wine
Sometimes it may happen that you notice disagreeable odours which
are wine faults. The best known is the smell of the cork, which the nose perceives
more clearly than the tastebuds. This is passed on to the wine from the cork when
it is attacked by parasitic fungi.
Another fault may be a smell of refermentation
and dregs (a disagreeable almost rancid smell) which comes from the wine having
too long a contact with the lees which are dirty or have undergone an unwanted
(and therefore uncontrolled) second fermentation in the bottle. This often happens
with wines purchased in demijohns and bottled at home. A third fault may be caused
by bacteria which develop in barrels with bad keeping qualities which have not
been cleaned with the proper antiseptics and also caused by grapes which are not
perfectly healthy. This is indicated by smells which remind you of a dry-cleaner's.
The smell of oxidation (like marsala) is due to excessive contact with oxygen.
This is an irreversible process and is a serious fault, except for wines (such
as Marsala, for example) whose main feature is oxidation. Another fault which
is easily met with is reduction (a musty odour) perceptible in wines which bottle-aged
in an environment where oxygen is lacking.
Sometimes it disappears or weakens
if the wine is allowed to oxygenate. The smell of sulphur is caused by too heavy
a use of sulphur dioxide. This is noticed by both nose and mouth and may be associated
with a smell of matches or wet wool. Finally the smell of sulphide (like mouldy
grapes) is irremediable and is the result of an excessive of potassium metabisulphite
added before fermentation or due to a process of reduction during alcoholic fermentation.
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