Below
we have described the most common faults that occur in wine. If you
discover one of these faults we recommend that you replace the cork or
screwcap and take it back the place where you purchased it. You should
get a full refund or at lease a replacement. This particularly applies
to restaurants. They recognise that faulty wine is a fact of life and
are nearly always happy to replace the wine. If the sommelier
recommends that you try a different wine, does so. He is politely
trying to tell you one of two things: either he considers the wine to
be past its best and a new bottle will make little difference or he
thinks is fine and you just do not like it!

 

 

Cork taint is the most common fault associated with wine. As it
can only occur when cork is used it is rarest amongst New Zealand wines
due to the preference for screwcaps. It is caused by a chemical used in
treating the cork which reacts with and spoils the wine. To recognise
it you should expect to smell a damp mustiness rather like the mould on
old bread. Sometimes the cork taint is more prevalent when the wine is
tasted rather than smelt. Opinions differ on how often cork taint
appears but the consensus seems to be that it occurs in 3-4% of bottles.

 

 

This is where air has got into the bottle via a faulty seal or
where the bottle has been left open for too long. It sometimes occurs
where the wine was not correctly protected from exposure to the air
when it was made. Whatever the reason, the wine usually has a slightly
metallic nose and tastes flat, tired and insipid. Affected white wines
also tend to have a rather golden colour. 

 

 

Happens where the sulphur dioxide, used to protect the wine from
oxidation during its making, bonds with hydrogen to create hydrogen
sulphide. This is immediately apparent when the wine is opened as there
will be an unmistakeable aroma of sulphur or rotten eggs. We suggest
that you leave the wine for 10 minutes as the smell often dissipates
and you are left with a perfectly drinkable and pleasant wine.

 

Tartrate Precipitation 

 

Evident when you get a mass of blackish crystals in the last glass
poured from the bottle. It is a result of the wine not being fully
stabilised before bottling. It does not affect the taste of the wine
and the crystals are harmless. In fact, it can be a sign that the wine
was hand made without too many chemicals processes being involved.

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