10 smells characteristic of a defective wine

Did you know that there is no more sensitive detector than the human nose?To smell we use the nose and mouth, it could be said that the palate is in the nose since the sensations perceived by the nose (when smelling the wine) and by retronasal route (when we perceive the aroma in the mouth) they regroup and complement and complement.

Smell is the absolutely majority meaning in the perception of a wine and can give us up to 80 percent of the pleasure when a wine.But, many times we can discover aromas that can offer us the opposite of pleasure.They can even put ourselves in check mate because we can find unseedable aromas that we often do not know how to recognize them and question whether we should drink them or not.

Today we are going to share unwanted aromas, that is, the defects or organoleptic alterations that we can find in a glass of wine.These defects generally cover or modify the typicity of each wine and match the perception of varieties or origins.

Many of them can have an even somewhat subjective character, that is, they can be pleasant for some or unpleasant for others.But, you have to know how to detect them first on a nose because many times an unpleasant aroma will be the initial kick to find an uninable taste in the mouth.

Defect 1: herbaceous. When I describe a wine with a pleasant green note I choose the word Herbal.Meanwhile, when I want to describe the excess of the green note from the elaboration process where the grape or cluster is squeezed, offspring or pressed;I choose the term herbaceous.The care in the harvest favor the presence of herbal and non -herbaceous aromas since it is vital to avoid the incorporation of immature leaves and brooms (the skeleton or raquis of the cluster) since both are responsible for this undesirable aromatic note in the wine.

Defect 2: Brett.How many times have I had long discussions with colleagues!Is Brett?Isn't Brett?To what extent does Brett add to the wine?To what extent is it no longer tolerable in wine?But, surely they will ask what Brett is!It could describe it as an aroma with a memory of a certain humidity or dirt product of equipment with lack of hygiene in the winery.As a consequence of the excess of Brett, acetic acid can increase so we will no longer have only one wine with an undesirable aroma but in the mouth we will have more acidic than desirable.Although it is hard to believe in low doses for many Brett is not a defect.

Defect 3: bitter almonds.This intense and even sharp aroma is a product of air with air with air after a transfer, bottling or pumping.That is, when the wine is moving inside the winery.

Defect 4: Cork.This despicable aroma of wine is one of the most frequent and can appear in wines from the best wineries.We can assimilate this defect with aromas such as mold, wet cork, gorgeous wood or wet paper.The causes of this defect are chlorinated molecules that can be found in corks, cardboard, wood or barrels.It is very common to relate this defect to the TCA (tricloroanisol), but this is only in the cork, a consequence of treatments in the fields of the cork oak, a tree from which the cork comes from.

Defect 5: glue.As a result of the presence of ethyl acetate, it can also remind us of solvent or varnish. This compound results from the union of acetic acid and ethanol alcohol, it is, therefore, a ester.In this way, how much more acetic acid we find in a wine, we will be more likely to produce ethyl acetate.Acetic acid is the main acid that helps increase volatile acidity.This problem is attenuated by the high alcoholic degree, the presence of residual sugars and low acidity.

Defect 6: Potted egg.This would be one of the most common examples of the family of defects defects.We can also include onion, rubber or cheese smells, which are normally called reductive aromas due to their origin in sulfur.To avoid the presence of this defect, it is necessary to take extreme care in the winery for excessive use of sulfur anhydride, which acts as an antiseptic wine.

Defect 7: Apple.The fresh apple aromatic note will remind us undoubtedly a Chardonnay of the Old World of Wine.It is a typical aroma of the variety.But if the presence of the souvenir of the apple is not the one we have when cutting the fruit of the tree or when buying it very fresh in the greengrocer, the past block is an unacceptable and typical smell of rusty wines.

Defect 8: Geranium.Usually in sweet wines.This defect is a consequence of the attack of lactic bacteria to sorbic acid to avoid referrals in sweet wines.Many times we can perceive it first as a slight smell of broken meat and in a more advanced state it can remind us of rot.

Defect 9: Vinegar. One of the most common defects of the wine product of the excess of acetic acid.It appears in wines that are badly closed or exposed to oxygen for a long time.The origin of chopped wine is also usually in poor hygiene in the winery, although it may be other factors that can spoil the wine, such as a cork defect.It is necessary to remember that excess air is the greatest enemy of wine and the best friend of acetic acid.

Defect 10: Earth humidity.Typical smell from producing areas with a lot of rain or moisture.Do not confuse it with the note to earthy fungus of some Burgundy wines, whose presence is synonymous with elegance.