Good wine is a kiss from the sun itself and the gifts of the earth. We are mostly used to talking about good wine, but one must also understand the other side of the coin. Let us learn how to recognize already spoiled or low-quality wine.
Sign 1
The wine contains carbon dioxide, although you bought a quiet, not sparkling
Situation: You bought a "quiet" wine, and already pouring it into glasses, you saw that the walls were covered with small perky bubbles. Alternatively, they may not even be visible, but something clearly bites your tongue, as if you licked a battery.
“Such a situation could have happened with wines containing residual sugar - semi-dry or semi-sweet, although dry wine is not insured against this,” explains Evgeny Segan. “The reason, in this case, is the work of microflora. It can be yeast fermentation, alcoholic ( if the wine is sweetish, then the yeast still has something to eat), and maybe the so-called malolactic wine. Such wine is not desirable to use since uncontrolled fermentation is a sign that the purity is violated and the drink is in an unsatisfactory hygienic state." Such a product's food suitability is low, and the taste is usually not what it should be.
Read also: What Is The Difference Between Champagne And Prosecco
"However, there are also cases of artificial carbonation of young still wine. An example is Vinho Verde in Portugal. Then carbon dioxide is added in a controlled manner, and the classification of such wines still is a matter of taxonomy. Of course, such wines are not dangerous. To understand this, read the label and check if carbon dioxide is indicated in the composition or if the manufacturer assumes its presence. "
Sign 2
Wine with the smell of vinegar
Situation: When you open the wine, you feel that the wine leaves a scratchy sensation in your throat, possibly a metallic taste. The scent can be distorted and have hints of vinegar (often balsamic),
"Such a situation could have arisen because acetic acid bacteria roamed in the wine or hygiene standards were violated during preparation/bottling," explains the brand-ambassador Inkerman. Drinking such wine is definitely not worth it. Heartburn is inevitable."
Sign 3
A wine that smells like rot
Situation: From the glass, it smells so much that you don't feel like drinking wine. But some people convince themselves that, perhaps, such a smell is a variant of the norm. But this is not the case.
"This aroma arises from improper storage. Light or excessive heat can change the drink for the worse. The smell will tell you what exactly influenced you. Sauerkraut and sewage, for example, are completely different problems, and to learn from them, Even if the smell disappears to a tolerable level, the taste of the drink will not be as it should.
It is not the winemaker who is to blame in this case, but the sale point where the bottle was purchased. "It would seem, what difference does it make to me - the wine is bad? And the difference is in whose reputation the blow is. Is it worth taking such wine in the future? The spill was marked with a different date than that of the "unsuccessful" bottle. A repetition of the situation would mean that, perhaps, the wine was still spoiled during production.
Sign 4
Cork smells like mold
Situation: You uncorked the bottle and automatically sniffed the cork. Well, as they show in the movies And it smells either moldy or wet cardboard. Most likely, the same unpleasant smell will be in the glass.
“The reason here is the so-called “cork disease.”As in the previous case, this can be a single bottle and not the whole of this particular type of wine. Wine deserves a second chance (and a good seller will even replace the bottle for free), but this bottle needs to be emptied, "the sommelier notes.
Also read: How To Quickly Chill Wine: Top 5 Ways
Sign 5
Cloudy wine or sediment
Situation: You took out a bottle of wine and saw that slight sediment fell out or the wine was unclear. Most people immediately decide that the wine is not suitable. But the sommelier insists that you need to look at the nature of the sediment.
"If the precipitate is crystalline, that is, it resembles sugar or salt, only in the color of wine, almost 100% is ordinary tartar. This is a substance that somehow precipitates from wine. Either age or hypothermia - it does not matter. That wine with such sediment is quite usable, and the tartar itself is not dangerous for humans. Well, perhaps it can creak slightly on the teeth, - explains Evgeny Segan. - If the sediment is amorphous (resembling curd of different densities inconsistency), then the diagnosis is a little more difficult to handle."
Adapted and translated by The Cop Cart Staff
Sources: Today Lifestyle