How about heat damage? Or inconsistent temperature storage? I have been inside smaller mom and pop type wine shops where it can get warm inside during the summer (the shop itself does not have constant temperature and humidity control), and cold during the winter. I remember buying a 2021 Chablis village from a wine store that was very warm, and compared that same bottle at a restaurant that sourced it directly from the distributor and they both tasted very different: the warm wine store's 2021 tasted like a 2018 (warm vintage) and the restaurant's 2021 tasted like it should be, more lean.
Another great video. To me, cork taint is the most heinous, because an aged wine with developed taint ruins my palate for a day. I once heard that 1/12 bottles is tainted this way, but it’s much closer to 1/100 for me.
It depends on the producer and the cork they choose. I think it used to be more common, but nowadays winemakers are willing to invest in better closures and the number is closer to what You wrote, for sure!
I am very sensitive to Brett, so I especially appreciate what you had to say on that topic! I did have one natural wine that had a little Brett on the nose but when you tasted it the Brett was not dominant and it was excellent; but I’ve also experienced several orange and red wines that were so Bretty you could not get around the smell to taste anything else in the wine!
This episode left me both Wasted and High and Dry. I'm sure Eddie and Pete Willis agree we all feel that warm thrill of confusion, that space cadet glow.
Hi Agnese. I bought a bottle of Comtes de Champagne 2005 a few weeks ago and experienced something strange. Upon opening it had a very small amount of expression (lemon, slight walnut) but it was as if I’d lost my sense of smell from Covid, and it was very dull. I left it opened and in a glass for up to 1.5/2 hours hoping it would blow off or open up. and it started smelling slightly unpleasant and of mould, but not cork taint. I returned it to the reputable wine merchant and they were happy to give me credit to buy something else (or a replacement) but that they found it to be “as it should be” upon tasting it, and even commented they were surprised that it wasn’t bad after a week of being open…. As a working sommelier myself, I immediately went into self doubt mode and felt very under confident and confused, even though I’ve discarded many faulty bottles of wine (and drank plenty of champagne, young and old) so I’m very curious to know if you had any thoughts on what the fault could have been here? Sorry for long comment!!
Hi! Thank You for writing me. It is very difficult to determine the fault without actually smelling or tasting the wine. Sometimes stuff would say so, I really doubt that wine would be completely fine after a week opened, the least it would be oxidised. 😅 sad for the bottle, because when good that wine is amaizing! And please don’t doubt Yourself, especially if You have experience and know what You are talking about. 🥂🥂🥂
That would be a dream of a masterclass where various wine flaws were illustrated with samples. Understanding the scarcity and the unpredictable nature of such specimens, is something like that even possible?
The truth is that in such masterclasses not a real wines with identified faults are presented. Usually it is a wine with added fault/taint to it. As was this case. ☺️
@@NoSediment yes, I went to one organised by Berry Brothers in London. Most were "manufactured" taints as you describe, but the light taint was done by the instructor leaving a (colourless glass) bottle on a sunny window sill for a few days before the class
I can tolerate slight amounts of brett on some reds as it gives them a bit of complexity. Also, i can tolerate slight amounts of VA, especially on very sweet wines from hot climate, the extra VA kind of gives them an extra kick of freshness.
Apparently there are some studies that suggest that storing upright is not the worst one, and most definitely not necessity for sparkling wines. I am however, still storing all my still wines horizontally. 👍
I've only encountered one bad bottle, unfortunately it was a difficult to buy beaujolais - Domaine de la Grand'Cour - "Champagne" Vielles Vignes - Fleurie. Not possible to get a replacement. There was a funky fermentation going on in the bottle, it was fizzy and left a very bad taste on the palette. I have another bottle in the basement that hopefully does not have the same problem.
You actually bring up very good point - not all the wines can be exchanged. Rare wines, back vintages, expensive wines - these are usually bottles that rarely if ever retailer will want to exchange.
- At times, I've had terrible wines whom the host refused to call out on. All seemed to smell like burnt caramel and overboiled vegetables. I've ended up associating it to prem-ox, but I'm still not 100% sure. Also, it's interesting that you've linked lightstruck fault with prem-ox, which makes sense but I wonder if they're still distinguishable. - I'm curious about mousiness! Never happened to me, but also never seen anyone call out on a wine that I didn't notice something about. I'll be vigilant -wanna figure out if I can detect it - When solo studying my WSET3, I tasted Pinot Noir for the first time and I had no idea what was going on, or if I simply really hated the variety. I did some research and concluded it was so bad with Brettanomyces. The glass still reeked of it after rinsing it thoroughly. Then I found it somewhere else in much lower levels, and it did add something to the wine. It's a bit of a limit case, 'cause sometimes you're not gonna know if the yeast came from the vineyard or from dirty equipment.
The first does sound like a light caused damage. You might not always be able to distinguish between all the of the faults, as some might seem very similar to each other (causing similar defects) and sometimes there is more than just few faults- as bad hygiene can introduce a lot of variables. 😣
@@NoSediment Thank you, Agnese 🙏 it makes a lot of sense that it's light strike, since I don't imagine serious bottles from different origins and vintages just randomly oxidising with corks in good condition.
What are your thoughts on tainted wines that I have stored for 2 or more years? I had a corked Barolo that I had stored for three years, I didn’t even try to return it.
I think the more important question is what are Your thoughts on tainted wines that are stored for that long? I usually either dump them or return them. Majority of taints will not go away, and opened wine will oxidise anyway. 🤔
Volatile Acidity bothers me the most by far, and is the only thing I've sent wine back in restaurants for. I am a big believer in low intervention wines, but sometimes it doesn't work, and some things should never be sold in a bottle that isn't labeled "vinegar". I am not sure if I am unable to detect "mousiness" or have just been lucky avoiding it.
As I am writing this, I am drinking a rioja that has noticeable VA. It is still very enjoyable, balanced, and something I've reordered. There is a line between balanced and obnoxious, and some wine has gone far over that line. That is what I am referring to - I am not super-sensitive or complaining, it is tolerable, and possibly even enjoyable, in most wine.
Interesting that you say that Brettanomyces can be introduced by oak. Sometimes the presence of oak notes in wine (woody character, not vanillin or coconut) is hard for me to distinguish from Brett. My "solution" is to put the wine in the frig for a day or two. Woody flavors will usually dissipate, but Brett does not. BTW, I buy almost all of my wine online, so returning flawed wine to the seller is usually not an option, and so must be marked down as the cost of being a wine collector/consumer...much like breaking the occasional wine glass.
Yes, unfortunately not all wines can be exchanged, that is true. 😓 I acquire my wines for a very good prices, and it almost that I am ungrateful if I bring spoiled wine back. 😓
Wine faults are tricky for pro's and even more tricky for us mere mortals. How are we supposed to know what mouse droppings taste like? 😄 I have a mystery for you. A few years ago I opened a Ch. de Fleys Chablis. I tasted nothing like Chablis at all, except maybe for a hint of minerality. The wine was completely stripped of all acidity and all taste except alcohol. Since it was quite oily in texture, it actually reminded me of Vodka more than wine. It was horrible. HORRIBLE! 🤢 I've never heard of a fault like that, and I might suspect Covid, but the problem is that I drank other whites in that same period that were fine. I also drank more of the same label another time, and that too was fine. It still haunts me to this day.
Hello, What do you mean by " a hint of minerality" ? More and more people are using this term but minerals have no smell or taste. The only minerals a grapevine extracts from its soil are the same minerals found in any fruit or vegetable and are purely nutritional. But more and more I see and hear people talk about minerality. Also professionals. I don't get it. I studied oenology in Geisenheim and one of the first things we learned is to smell (and taste) everything and I really mean everything. And none of the minerals that vines can actually extract have any taste or odor. So what is it that the new generation of wine-lovers is talking about?
I will have to think about this chablis for a while now, I am truly not sure what it could have been. I suspect You have tasted other wines of the same producer and they were all fine?
That is true, however, I do think that term “minerality” is used less than it was before. And the truth is that for each of us minerality means different things - one MW did a Research Paper on this topic, and usually it was linked with high acid crisp white wines. I was shocked when friend of mine said that he associate minerality with red, full bodied wines. 😅
@@williamsaintclair4997 IDK, I'm familiar with the "minerality" debate. You can call it "saltiness" if that helps. I don't think there's anything wrong with mineral associations. It's obviously not the rock itself and the amounts of things like magnesium, phosphates, boron and so on in the wines, are too small to actually taste. So we're talking about scent here and associations that are linked to rock and earth that are tied to organic material on and among these compounds. It's not that strange and not to be taken literally. The term mineral water for example is old and I wouldn't hesitate calling the taste mineral like, even though I know I can't taste rock for example.
@@NoSediment Yes I've had one bottle from the same vineyard and vintage that was fine, and a premier cru from the same producer that was also fine, so it's probably not me. I think there was something very seriously wrong with that one bottle, but damned if I understand what it could be.
Thanks for the video. I'm curious how often you encounter these faults. I have tried a lot of wines over the years, but not nearly as many as a sommelier would, and I don't think I have ever encountered these faults. Maybe I just don't realize it?
As I work for a wine importer (and we have a shop) I would say relatively often. Wines are brought back or we taste them there is a fault. It is a good thing that You haven’t encountered much of that.
I understand your comment. I'm a wine enthousiast and still very much learning. I have had an obviously faulty white wine that smelled strongly like nail polish remover. But other that that very obvious fault, I have not had any obvious faulty wine. However, a couple months ago I had a wine where after learning more about faults, I wonder if it wasn't actually mousy, I assumed it was off because I stored it badly and tossed it.
For years, I wondered whether, when confronted with a corked bottle in a restaurant, I would be sure enough it was faulty to have the nerve to return it. Then it happened: I was at a restaurant and got served a corked bottle. There was simply no question that it was a faulty bottle. The restaurant immediately apologized and brought another bottle. Turned out the entire case was faulty. After three or bottles proved off, we switched to another wine, which the restaurant graciously comped, along with dessert (even though it all really wasn't their fault).
That is great experience, even though it might not felt that way right away. I hope You will feel confident the next time as well. I also want to praise the staff of that restaurant, very professional. 🍷 Cheers and may we have less spoiled wines in our glasses!
Worst thing that ever happened to me in my career was at a 2 Michelin star restaurant. A regular customer ordered a 1986 Chateau Margaux because he had something to celebrate. I can't remember the exact price, but it was before prices went crazy on the 1re Grand Cru's...still it was a very expensive bottle. He said the wine was corked and I wasn't convinced and thought he was confused because of the age of the wine. I was very tired and was a little bit sick. But after very reluctantly opening another bottle I noticed the difference by just smelling the opened wine from a distance. So, even a trained professional might get it wrong sometimes and you should never ever feel ashamed to complain or mention faults about wine if you taste or smell something that doesn't feel right! There is no such thing as real experts in the wine world. Some of us are trained more and have more knowledge but even an amateur can sometimes notice something others don't.
Great channel congratulations. One question on TCA. If one of the bottles in your wine fridge has TCA, is it possible it can spread to the other bottles?
Good question, I would say no, but I am not completely sure. Everything I have read about this fault usually was linked with wine being in direct contact with contaminated object. 🧐🧐🧐
Since TCA has been shown to transfer from items like shipping pallets and rubber gaskets, I’d say there could be a remote possibility. But one thing that did happen to me was I did have a significantly TCA tainted bottle I had in a wine fridge and it seemed to me that the smell did show up in the fridge but didn’t seem to affect other wines I had. And when I removed that bottle after some searching, and cleaned out the fridge with non chlorine detergent, the smell did go away. None of the other wines seemed affected, and I am very sensitive to TCA.
Great video. I’m very sensitive to TCA and Brett. IMHO TCA ruins wine but Brett while still being a fault, like you I find it a complexity when it’s low but NEVER in whites. I did have an Ausie rose (Sangiovese) under screw cap once that was corked, brought it back to the shop and the owner had all his team try it to show it was a real thing. A little VA in my Tuscan reds is ok too. My tasting group replicated the light strike experiment Konstatin Baum did this summer and it was extremely apparent how just a little exposure to light, man made or natural can quickly turn a wine faulty. For me, the oddest fault so far was the peanut butter notes I had in a NY Cab Franc that had ladybug taint. It was just weird!
Thank you so much for the informative video Agnesi! I have been opening bottles of wines where I realised there was a somewhat white-ish film of oiliness/layer (especially red wines). Would you have any idea what that might be? I have encountered that many times in red wines! But all I can find from the internet is spoilage yeast/mycoderma... would appreciate any knowledge about that! Cheer :)
It is so FRUSTRATING because I always double/triple-check that it is NOT the oil/grease from my mouth or food. This has been observed in maybe 12 bottles of red wines I bought over the past 2 years. They are all different varietals, from different producers/countries and from different wine stores :/ I'm really perplexed. There are no specific odours except that sometimes the fruit aromas seem dampened.
That is the first time I have heard about spoilage like this. Is it always the same label? White film seems some kind of unwanted yeast activity, and it definitely shouldn’t be there. 😣
Could it be some kind of residue from dishwasher or dish soap maybe? Have you ever experienced this in a restaurant or at a friends' as well for example? I drink plenty of red wine at home and can't say I've ever noticed something like what you describe.
I can imagine that brett isn't liked much in wine, especially in white fruity wines. But i'm an avid geuze-beer enthusiast, so some brett in natural wines i like a lot. Also there is a real marked for hybrid wines that are wild fermented and sometimes made with barley and fruit too. Or wild fermented beers with grape varieties. I think that all of those break some boundries, and are drinks to love or hate i guess. But yes please, give me some cobwebs and horseblankets. ;-)
Yes! I also read somewhere (I don’t know for sure) that brett in beer is actually described as vinous. And that is just so interesting, given the fact that a lot of wine people consider brett as spoilage yeast.
Whould be nice to talk about the less obvious, like heat damage, or flat wines or reductive wines, at some point, wines that don't necessarily feel faulty initially, but that are so not expressive that it is a shame to pay 3 digits for them. It has happened to me a few times with some 1er cru Burgundies.
To me, whether brett is a fault is based solely on intent. If a winemaker works at a successful winery known for a certain character 100 years before they were born, you can't blame them for not trying to eliminate it. Faults are when wine does not develop as the winemaker intended. If a winemaker intended to make something, and you find it unpleasant, that isn't a fault - it is just bad wine or a style you don't care for.
PVC has unknown additives and the chemical composition is not suited for food containers so I would NOT recommend that route for dealing w. cork taint.
@@NoSedimentThe only thing it achieves is making you keep the wine longer, instead of returning it, which is the right thing to do ASAP. It can camouflage slightly corked wines, however older bottles no possible way. There is a huge gap between theory and practice, and you can't replicate science in your home kitchen. There is a reason experienced drinkers throw expensive corked wines down the drain, believe me they are not stupid.
Oellaallaa Wine Faults, is it the fault of the grapes, winemaker, used products, climate or expertations.... without faults no progression..! How to spot, for me it is the difference in what i expact and what I taste (receive), can i point a finger...? If i can't point a finger, it might be a fault in my expertation... If I can't point a finger I will explain, but don't return, that;s the honour for the maker or restaurant to offer return. Am i to friendly or to polite? ..... Yepppp to polite... or don't you agree Agness
if one is to know how mousedroppings taste then they actually have to taste it ... i would bet that 99% of the population never did and therefor can not tell how mousedroppings wouls taste.
Well… If I may argue - our smell (nose) is closely connected with what we taste. When we are sick and the nose is closed- we do not taste anything, so the taste would still be linked with smell, and we could link that off-flavour on out tongue with the smell we associate it with. Apparently, majority of taste is smell, because as we chew our food we release the aromas of it. 🤔
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This is good to know. I’ve begun a more expensive collection and I was concerned about bad bottles. Thanks dear
Cheers’ 🥂
How about heat damage? Or inconsistent temperature storage? I have been inside smaller mom and pop type wine shops where it can get warm inside during the summer (the shop itself does not have constant temperature and humidity control), and cold during the winter. I remember buying a 2021 Chablis village from a wine store that was very warm, and compared that same bottle at a restaurant that sourced it directly from the distributor and they both tasted very different: the warm wine store's 2021 tasted like a 2018 (warm vintage) and the restaurant's 2021 tasted like it should be, more lean.
Yes, heat damage is a real thong as well, true! Well noted! 👍
Another great video. To me, cork taint is the most heinous, because an aged wine with developed taint ruins my palate for a day. I once heard that 1/12 bottles is tainted this way, but it’s much closer to 1/100 for me.
It depends on the producer and the cork they choose. I think it used to be more common, but nowadays winemakers are willing to invest in better closures and the number is closer to what You wrote, for sure!
I am very sensitive to Brett, so I especially appreciate what you had to say on that topic! I did have one natural wine that had a little Brett on the nose but when you tasted it the Brett was not dominant and it was excellent; but I’ve also experienced several orange and red wines that were so Bretty you could not get around the smell to taste anything else in the wine!
That is true, there are wines where brett has taken over and it is simply not enjoyable anymore.
This episode left me both Wasted and High and Dry. I'm sure Eddie and Pete Willis agree we all feel that warm thrill of confusion, that space cadet glow.
I see what You did there! 🤘🏻
Hi Agnese. I bought a bottle of Comtes de Champagne 2005 a few weeks ago and experienced something strange. Upon opening it had a very small amount of expression (lemon, slight walnut) but it was as if I’d lost my sense of smell from Covid, and it was very dull. I left it opened and in a glass for up to 1.5/2 hours hoping it would blow off or open up. and it started smelling slightly unpleasant and of mould, but not cork taint. I returned it to the reputable wine merchant and they were happy to give me credit to buy something else (or a replacement) but that they found it to be “as it should be” upon tasting it, and even commented they were surprised that it wasn’t bad after a week of being open…. As a working sommelier myself, I immediately went into self doubt mode and felt very under confident and confused, even though I’ve discarded many faulty bottles of wine (and drank plenty of champagne, young and old) so I’m very curious to know if you had any thoughts on what the fault could have been here? Sorry for long comment!!
Hi! Thank You for writing me. It is very difficult to determine the fault without actually smelling or tasting the wine. Sometimes stuff would say so, I really doubt that wine would be completely fine after a week opened, the least it would be oxidised. 😅 sad for the bottle, because when good that wine is amaizing! And please don’t doubt Yourself, especially if You have experience and know what You are talking about. 🥂🥂🥂
There may be faults with wine 🍷 from time to time, 🎉 but never with you Agnese ❤!
That would be a dream of a masterclass where various wine flaws were illustrated with samples. Understanding the scarcity and the unpredictable nature of such specimens, is something like that even possible?
The truth is that in such masterclasses not a real wines with identified faults are presented. Usually it is a wine with added fault/taint to it. As was this case. ☺️
@@NoSediment yes, I went to one organised by Berry Brothers in London. Most were "manufactured" taints as you describe, but the light taint was done by the instructor leaving a (colourless glass) bottle on a sunny window sill for a few days before the class
Btw Konstantin did a great video on light shock…
I can tolerate slight amounts of brett on some reds as it gives them a bit of complexity. Also, i can tolerate slight amounts of VA, especially on very sweet wines from hot climate, the extra VA kind of gives them an extra kick of freshness.
I think there is also a higher allowance for VA in a sweet wines, so it makes sense! 😎
Oxidation is my biggest peeve. Bottles stored upright in stores, with varying temperatures.
Apparently there are some studies that suggest that storing upright is not the worst one, and most definitely not necessity for sparkling wines. I am however, still storing all my still wines horizontally. 👍
I've only encountered one bad bottle, unfortunately it was a difficult to buy beaujolais - Domaine de la Grand'Cour - "Champagne" Vielles Vignes - Fleurie. Not possible to get a replacement. There was a funky fermentation going on in the bottle, it was fizzy and left a very bad taste on the palette. I have another bottle in the basement that hopefully does not have the same problem.
You actually bring up very good point - not all the wines can be exchanged. Rare wines, back vintages, expensive wines - these are usually bottles that rarely if ever retailer will want to exchange.
- At times, I've had terrible wines whom the host refused to call out on. All seemed to smell like burnt caramel and overboiled vegetables. I've ended up associating it to prem-ox, but I'm still not 100% sure. Also, it's interesting that you've linked lightstruck fault with prem-ox, which makes sense but I wonder if they're still distinguishable.
- I'm curious about mousiness! Never happened to me, but also never seen anyone call out on a wine that I didn't notice something about. I'll be vigilant -wanna figure out if I can detect it
- When solo studying my WSET3, I tasted Pinot Noir for the first time and I had no idea what was going on, or if I simply really hated the variety. I did some research and concluded it was so bad with Brettanomyces. The glass still reeked of it after rinsing it thoroughly. Then I found it somewhere else in much lower levels, and it did add something to the wine. It's a bit of a limit case, 'cause sometimes you're not gonna know if the yeast came from the vineyard or from dirty equipment.
The first does sound like a light caused damage. You might not always be able to distinguish between all the of the faults, as some might seem very similar to each other (causing similar defects) and sometimes there is more than just few faults- as bad hygiene can introduce a lot of variables. 😣
@@NoSediment Thank you, Agnese 🙏 it makes a lot of sense that it's light strike, since I don't imagine serious bottles from different origins and vintages just randomly oxidising with corks in good condition.
What are your thoughts on tainted wines that I have stored for 2 or more years? I had a corked Barolo that I had stored for three years, I didn’t even try to return it.
I think the more important question is what are Your thoughts on tainted wines that are stored for that long? I usually either dump them or return them. Majority of taints will not go away, and opened wine will oxidise anyway. 🤔
@@NoSediment sorry, I meant unopened wines that I have stored, and show taint when I open them. Do retailers return a wine in that situation?
Volatile Acidity bothers me the most by far, and is the only thing I've sent wine back in restaurants for. I am a big believer in low intervention wines, but sometimes it doesn't work, and some things should never be sold in a bottle that isn't labeled "vinegar". I am not sure if I am unable to detect "mousiness" or have just been lucky avoiding it.
As I am writing this, I am drinking a rioja that has noticeable VA. It is still very enjoyable, balanced, and something I've reordered. There is a line between balanced and obnoxious, and some wine has gone far over that line. That is what I am referring to - I am not super-sensitive or complaining, it is tolerable, and possibly even enjoyable, in most wine.
I completely understand You. I have been there myself. There are wines where it works, and there are wines that are just way out for line. 🥲
Interesting that you say that Brettanomyces can be introduced by oak. Sometimes the presence of oak notes in wine (woody character, not vanillin or coconut) is hard for me to distinguish from Brett. My "solution" is to put the wine in the frig for a day or two. Woody flavors will usually dissipate, but Brett does not.
BTW, I buy almost all of my wine online, so returning flawed wine to the seller is usually not an option, and so must be marked down as the cost of being a wine collector/consumer...much like breaking the occasional wine glass.
Yes, unfortunately not all wines can be exchanged, that is true. 😓 I acquire my wines for a very good prices, and it almost that I am ungrateful if I bring spoiled wine back. 😓
Wine faults are tricky for pro's and even more tricky for us mere mortals. How are we supposed to know what mouse droppings taste like? 😄
I have a mystery for you. A few years ago I opened a Ch. de Fleys Chablis. I tasted nothing like Chablis at all, except maybe for a hint of minerality. The wine was completely stripped of all acidity and all taste except alcohol. Since it was quite oily in texture, it actually reminded me of Vodka more than wine. It was horrible. HORRIBLE! 🤢
I've never heard of a fault like that, and I might suspect Covid, but the problem is that I drank other whites in that same period that were fine. I also drank more of the same label another time, and that too was fine. It still haunts me to this day.
Hello, What do you mean by " a hint of minerality" ? More and more people are using this term but minerals have no smell or taste. The only minerals a grapevine extracts from its soil are the same minerals found in any fruit or vegetable and are purely nutritional. But more and more I see and hear people talk about minerality. Also professionals. I don't get it. I studied oenology in Geisenheim and one of the first things we learned is to smell (and taste) everything and I really mean everything. And none of the minerals that vines can actually extract have any taste or odor. So what is it that the new generation of wine-lovers is talking about?
I will have to think about this chablis for a while now, I am truly not sure what it could have been. I suspect You have tasted other wines of the same producer and they were all fine?
That is true, however, I do think that term “minerality” is used less than it was before. And the truth is that for each of us minerality means different things - one MW did a Research Paper on this topic, and usually it was linked with high acid crisp white wines. I was shocked when friend of mine said that he associate minerality with red, full bodied wines. 😅
@@williamsaintclair4997 IDK, I'm familiar with the "minerality" debate. You can call it "saltiness" if that helps. I don't think there's anything wrong with mineral associations. It's obviously not the rock itself and the amounts of things like magnesium, phosphates, boron and so on in the wines, are too small to actually taste. So we're talking about scent here and associations that are linked to rock and earth that are tied to organic material on and among these compounds. It's not that strange and not to be taken literally. The term mineral water for example is old and I wouldn't hesitate calling the taste mineral like, even though I know I can't taste rock for example.
@@NoSediment Yes I've had one bottle from the same vineyard and vintage that was fine, and a premier cru from the same producer that was also fine, so it's probably not me. I think there was something very seriously wrong with that one bottle, but damned if I understand what it could be.
Thanks for the video. I'm curious how often you encounter these faults. I have tried a lot of wines over the years, but not nearly as many as a sommelier would, and I don't think I have ever encountered these faults. Maybe I just don't realize it?
As I work for a wine importer (and we have a shop) I would say relatively often. Wines are brought back or we taste them there is a fault. It is a good thing that You haven’t encountered much of that.
I understand your comment. I'm a wine enthousiast and still very much learning. I have had an obviously faulty white wine that smelled strongly like nail polish remover. But other that that very obvious fault, I have not had any obvious faulty wine. However, a couple months ago I had a wine where after learning more about faults, I wonder if it wasn't actually mousy, I assumed it was off because I stored it badly and tossed it.
For years, I wondered whether, when confronted with a corked bottle in a restaurant, I would be sure enough it was faulty to have the nerve to return it. Then it happened: I was at a restaurant and got served a corked bottle. There was simply no question that it was a faulty bottle. The restaurant immediately apologized and brought another bottle. Turned out the entire case was faulty. After three or bottles proved off, we switched to another wine, which the restaurant graciously comped, along with dessert (even though it all really wasn't their fault).
That is great experience, even though it might not felt that way right away. I hope You will feel confident the next time as well. I also want to praise the staff of that restaurant, very professional. 🍷 Cheers and may we have less spoiled wines in our glasses!
Worst thing that ever happened to me in my career was at a 2 Michelin star restaurant. A regular customer ordered a 1986 Chateau Margaux because he had something to celebrate. I can't remember the exact price, but it was before prices went crazy on the 1re Grand Cru's...still it was a very expensive bottle. He said the wine was corked and I wasn't convinced and thought he was confused because of the age of the wine. I was very tired and was a little bit sick. But after very reluctantly opening another bottle I noticed the difference by just smelling the opened wine from a distance. So, even a trained professional might get it wrong sometimes and you should never ever feel ashamed to complain or mention faults about wine if you taste or smell something that doesn't feel right! There is no such thing as real experts in the wine world. Some of us are trained more and have more knowledge but even an amateur can sometimes notice something others don't.
Great channel congratulations. One question on TCA. If one of the bottles in your wine fridge has TCA, is it possible it can spread to the other bottles?
Good question, I would say no, but I am not completely sure. Everything I have read about this fault usually was linked with wine being in direct contact with contaminated object. 🧐🧐🧐
Since TCA has been shown to transfer from items like shipping pallets and rubber gaskets, I’d say there could be a remote possibility. But one thing that did happen to me was I did have a significantly TCA tainted bottle I had in a wine fridge and it seemed to me that the smell did show up in the fridge but didn’t seem to affect other wines I had. And when I removed that bottle after some searching, and cleaned out the fridge with non chlorine detergent, the smell did go away. None of the other wines seemed affected, and I am very sensitive to TCA.
Great video. I’m very sensitive to TCA and Brett. IMHO TCA ruins wine but Brett while still being a fault, like you I find it a complexity when it’s low but NEVER in whites. I did have an Ausie rose (Sangiovese) under screw cap once that was corked, brought it back to the shop and the owner had all his team try it to show it was a real thing. A little VA in my Tuscan reds is ok too. My tasting group replicated the light strike experiment Konstatin Baum did this summer and it was extremely apparent how just a little exposure to light, man made or natural can quickly turn a wine faulty. For me, the oddest fault so far was the peanut butter notes I had in a NY Cab Franc that had ladybug taint. It was just weird!
Thank you so much for the informative video Agnesi!
I have been opening bottles of wines where I realised there was a somewhat white-ish film of oiliness/layer (especially red wines). Would you have any idea what that might be? I have encountered that many times in red wines! But all I can find from the internet is spoilage yeast/mycoderma... would appreciate any knowledge about that! Cheer :)
It is so FRUSTRATING because I always double/triple-check that it is NOT the oil/grease from my mouth or food. This has been observed in maybe 12 bottles of red wines I bought over the past 2 years. They are all different varietals, from different producers/countries and from different wine stores :/ I'm really perplexed. There are no specific odours except that sometimes the fruit aromas seem dampened.
That is the first time I have heard about spoilage like this. Is it always the same label? White film seems some kind of unwanted yeast activity, and it definitely shouldn’t be there. 😣
This is puzzling for me as well, I will try to look into that. 🧐🧐
@@NoSediment Apparently there are many wine consumers who have the same question on Reddit as well 😅
Could it be some kind of residue from dishwasher or dish soap maybe? Have you ever experienced this in a restaurant or at a friends' as well for example? I drink plenty of red wine at home and can't say I've ever noticed something like what you describe.
I can imagine that brett isn't liked much in wine, especially in white fruity wines. But i'm an avid geuze-beer enthusiast, so some brett in natural wines i like a lot. Also there is a real marked for hybrid wines that are wild fermented and sometimes made with barley and fruit too. Or wild fermented beers with grape varieties. I think that all of those break some boundries, and are drinks to love or hate i guess. But yes please, give me some cobwebs and horseblankets. ;-)
Yes! I also read somewhere (I don’t know for sure) that brett in beer is actually described as vinous. And that is just so interesting, given the fact that a lot of wine people consider brett as spoilage yeast.
Harry Potter reference? Niceee
Whould be nice to talk about the less obvious, like heat damage, or flat wines or reductive wines, at some point, wines that don't necessarily feel faulty initially, but that are so not expressive that it is a shame to pay 3 digits for them. It has happened to me a few times with some 1er cru Burgundies.
This was actually my second video on this topic, and I do think that some of these faults I have mentioned in my previous one! 😅
To me, whether brett is a fault is based solely on intent. If a winemaker works at a successful winery known for a certain character 100 years before they were born, you can't blame them for not trying to eliminate it. Faults are when wine does not develop as the winemaker intended. If a winemaker intended to make something, and you find it unpleasant, that isn't a fault - it is just bad wine or a style you don't care for.
Good point. Kind of like a story of Champagne - they did not want the bubbles, but at the end wine was good, and now it is the most admired style! 😌
PVC has unknown additives and the chemical composition is not suited for food containers so I would NOT recommend that route for dealing w. cork taint.
Of course not, it was more as a joke! 😈
@ 👍🏼 you never know. 🤷🏽♂️
No, nothing can salvage nasty corked wine. Goes down the drain..
Hahah, so no plastic bag? 😂😂
@@NoSediment I suspect the plastic bag story was made up by wine retailers.
@BatiBatut no, not at all. Apparently there is a science behind it. I just haven’t tested it yet, to confirm myself.
@@NoSedimentThe only thing it achieves is making you keep the wine longer, instead of returning it, which is the right thing to do ASAP. It can camouflage slightly corked wines, however older bottles no possible way. There is a huge gap between theory and practice, and you can't replicate science in your home kitchen. There is a reason experienced drinkers throw expensive corked wines down the drain, believe me they are not stupid.
Oellaallaa Wine Faults, is it the fault of the grapes, winemaker, used products, climate or expertations.... without faults no progression..! How to spot, for me it is the difference in what i expact and what I taste (receive), can i point a finger...? If i can't point a finger, it might be a fault in my expertation... If I can't point a finger I will explain, but don't return, that;s the honour for the maker or restaurant to offer return.
Am i to friendly or to polite?
..... Yepppp to polite... or don't you agree Agness
Corked wine is my pet peeve.
Such a waste of money.
And I hate Brett as well.
Unfortunately to us, corked wines usually can be exchanged. 😅
Yes, unless bought at auction.
if one is to know how mousedroppings taste then they actually have to taste it ...
i would bet that 99% of the population never did and therefor can not tell how mousedroppings wouls taste.
Well… If I may argue - our smell (nose) is closely connected with what we taste. When we are sick and the nose is closed- we do not taste anything, so the taste would still be linked with smell, and we could link that off-flavour on out tongue with the smell we associate it with. Apparently, majority of taste is smell, because as we chew our food we release the aromas of it. 🤔
When you have to tell dad the wine tastes like soy sauce when he thinks he found a "good deal" 🫠
🙈🙈🙈