How many times have you heard someone say, “This wine is corked” but been too embarrassed to ask what it means? As the founder and one of the tasters of the Good Works Wine Club, I’m here to answer such questions. I want to educate the public about wine and inspire people to become wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
When a wine is corked, it has a musty smell and tastes like a moldy newspaper. No, I’ve never eaten a moldy newspaper, but I’ve smelled a few and can imagine what they might have tasted like. But it’s not mold that causes the musty smell and taste in wine, it’s a bacteria called TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole) that infects the corks. In a few cases, TCA comes from barrels or from wood within the cellar walls and beams.
TCA occurs in about 1% to 3% of all wines, with some statistics going as high as 7%. The average wine drinker won’t notice small amounts of TCA contamination, although wine experts and connoisseurs notice even the smallest traces of it. The majority of wine drinkers become aware of TCA contamination in quantities as small as 5 parts per trillion. The bacteria can be found in one bottle but not the next. This is the reason a sommelier hands you the cork when they open the wine. They want you to smell the cork because that’s your first clue that a wine is corked.
Fortunately, TCA in wine doesn’t pose any health risks. It just smells and tastes bad, and ruins good wine. Once you have had a drink of TCA-laced wine, you won’t forget the taste. If you’re in a restaurant and you think the bottle is corked, ask the manager if he or she would taste it. Most good operations will immediately replace the bottle if it is corked.
The next bottle of the same wine can be perfectly fine. This is why many wines you see now have screw tops instead of corks. There is hardly a wine from New Zealand now that isn’t a screw top. For example, Plumpjack Winery in Napa Valley sells a screw top Cabernet Sauvignon for more than $200 a bottle.
Most wineries completely stand behind their wines and will work to ensure customer satisfaction. I suggest you check for corkiness by smelling and tasting any wine you plan to serve your guests. Pour a little wine into a glass and give it a good swirl. Sniff, then taste.
Leland Topham is the founder and one of the main tasters of the Good Works Wine Club. You can become a member by calling 855-500-WINE or visiting www.goodworkswineclub.com. You can also follow the wine club in Oregon on Twitter and become a friend on Facebook.
