Dinked on a Corked Wine – More bloopers are a click away

Is your wine corked? You don’t know??? Well I am going to try to explain to you exactly what a corked wine is so that you will be able to spot one if you come across it. Corked wine is a wine of contaminated by 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA).  Wine that has been contaminated by 246 TCA has a characteristic smell of mold, wet newspaper, damp basement or old socks. The taste is also very astringent instead of the normal fruity taste that consumes a good wine. Although wines contaminated by 246 TCA are harmless, a wine that is heavily contaminated will be truly undrinkable primarily because of the putrid odor.

TCA contamination occurs primarily when a wine is oxidized. If a cork doesn’t fit securely and snugly around the wine bottleneck a contamination can occur. Contamination can also occur due to processing in wood barrels. It is estimated by the wine industry that 2% to 7% of all wines are contaminated by TCA. However, a lot of contamination is undetectable by consumers.

A small amount of TCA can actually ruin a wine, although, the levels found in wine today doesn’t pose a health risk. TCA is not the only thing that can spoil a wine, however, it is one of the primary things. TCA is also not only found in wines; it is also found in some municipal water. So you must be able to identify the musty smell.

As stated in the video above it is a smart thing to buy wine at your local wine shop because they will be more willing to take back a wine that is corked. This isn’t to say that if you buy wine at your local grocer or liquor store and you identify that it’s corked that you shouldn’t take it back. No matter where you are, if you receive a bottle of corked wine you should either send it or take it back to where it was purchased.

For a little more info on corked wine please see the video below. Thanks and don’t forget to drink responsibly.