Every once in a while a bottle of wine is purchased from a restaurant and it does not taste quite right. It is problematic to understand if the bottle has gone bad or the taste is just not what you expected. There are a few things that will cause a bottle to go bad and there are other things that people assume make the bottle bad. Here are a few tips before sending back a perfectly good bottle of wine.
Disfigured Label
Several people will assume that a bottle is bad if the label is damaged. Some bottles travel all over the world and can easily get bumped along the way. Bottles that are kept in storage may become cracked and leak on bottles below it. This may make the label look bad but the wine inside will remain good.
White Crystals
Crystals can accumulate at the bottom of the bottle or on the cork. These are natural caused by the unfiltered and unprocessed wines. Otherwise known as tartrate, these crystals are harmless
Reasons to Reject a Bottle
There are four ways that a bottle of wine can go bad. This article will explain what to look for to determine if a bottle of wine has in fact gone bad.
Corked
A corked wine is when the wine comes in contact with a contaminated cork during the aging process. The good news is that this is very easy to spot. The smell of a corked wine will resemble a wet basement or socks left in a gym bag for too long. The taste will be astringent, non-fruity, and will appear almost raspy. Some say it will taste like paint thinner.
Oxidized
If wine is exposed to air it will become oxidized. Oxidization will give wine a flat taste and will not have a fruity smell to it. It will appear vinegary. A white wine that is oxidized will start to look dull. It will appear light to dark yellow and can even turn brown.
Maderized
When wines are not stored properly and they get overheated the wine is said to be maderized. This is common during the summer when bottles are shipped by boat. The taste will resemble almonds and candied fruit similar to a dessert wine. This sweet taste is not desirable in a dry wine.
Refermented
Wine is a living organism. Occasionally the yeast will wake up after it has been dormant and will ferment again. A second fermentation will cause a fizzy feeling on the tongue. Although this process is common in champagne it is not desirable in wine.
There are four ways that a bottle can become bad. These tips will help determine if a bottle is bad to avoid sending a perfectly good bottle back at a wine tasting room or a restaurant.
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How To Tell If A Bottle Of Wine Has Gone Bad
