cork taint!

[motobrewer]

what is it? i'm pretty new to wine, but last weekend I opened a 2005 Bordeaux, smelled the cork and it seemed a little off. The wine wasn't very good and was very acidic. it was very disappointing.

it's probably been stored at high 60's its whole life as well.

 

[Yooper]

what is it? i'm pretty new to wine, but last weekend I opened a 2005 Bordeaux, smelled the cork and it seemed a little off. The wine wasn't very good and was very acidic. it was very disappointing.

it's probably been stored at high 60's its whole life as well.

Cork taint really has nothing to do with the cork. It's a bacterial infection. When a wine is "corked", it just is infected. It usually tastes musty and "off".

 

[motobrewer]

well, the cork definitely smelled off, as did the wine. smelled and tasted a bit sour, and didn't really have much flavor at all. also finished mouth-puckeringly dry.

 

[motobrewer]

oh! does the cork coming out of the bottle have anything to do with anything?

when i bought it, the cork was flush, then after a few years it had "bulged" the foil cap.

 

[Yooper]

oh! does the cork coming out of the bottle have anything to do with anything?

when i bought it, the cork was flush, then after a few years it had "bulged" the foil cap.

Yes, that is a major sign of infection- as that means there was something fermenting in the bottle.

 

[motobrewer]

makes sense. thanks yoop!

maybe I should actually think about wine storage instead of keeping everything in my bar in the living room.

 

[samc]

Most commercial wines in the store are best used soon as opposed to stored for aging. Only some wines, usually more expensive ones need aging and then you need to do it properly.

 

[gregbathurst]

Was the bottle stored on it's side? Corked wine usually has a bitter taste, and a slightly chlorine smell. Your wine might have had an infection or oxidation. Random oxidation is a common problem with corks.
I think most red wines benefit from a bit of ageing, its just a matter of whether it's worth the bother.

 

[motobrewer]

yes, stored on its side

 

[Saccharomyces]

I lost a half a batch to cork taint. Lesson learned: don't scrimp on corks. Saved $10 on corks and dumped $100 worth of wine down the drain.

I did learn what cork taint tastes and smells like from that experience, and saved a few bottles back to taste with the homebrew club. Musty, mushrooms, gym locker. Not good.