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Wine Flaws: Let your nose be your guide

May 12th, 2010 by jolan in general wine knowledge, sulfites

A short story, by way of introduction:

Yesterday, while I was at the office, typing away like the Very Important Person I am, my boss David called out to me, “Jolan, would you like to taste some wine?”

Why, yes, I would.

David was speaking with a frequent visitor to Vintner’s Circle, a gentleman named Frank. Frank had brought in a case of red Meritage, a red wine blend from California, which had been made at our Hackettstown location the previous year. Frank explained that he tried a bottle from the batch earlier in the week, but was disappointed when tasting it: the wine had an off flavor, slightly sour.

We opened a few bottles, to see if it was the entire batch that was flawed, or simply one or two bottles. (Quality assurance, you see.) We were surprised to find that only some of the bottles were off – the others still had the pleasing characteristics of a young, fresh Meritage. Those that were flawed had muted aromas and a distinct sour taste, centered on the middle of the tongue. If all the bottles were made as one batch, and given equal ingredients, temperatures, and processes, what could cause a few to be flawed and the rest to be good?

Yesterday’s tasting and my ensuing homework (David: “Jolan, bring home these three bottles and taste them.”) got me thinking about common wine flaws, and how to recognize them. Part of our detective work yesterday afternoon involved weaning out possible flaws: cork taint, for instance, wouldn’t be an issue with the bottles, because we use synthetic corks. I’ve put together a short list of the most frequent wine flaws, as a helpful guide to recognizing what, exactly, it might be that’s making your tongue pucker.

Trichloroanisole 2,4,6 (aka TCA, aka cork taint)

Trichloroanisole 2,4,6 is one of the most common wine flaws found in a bottle. I’ve heard statistics that claim TCA is found in three to five percent of bottles – one source even claimed that TCA is in one out of every ten. That may be true, but most of us aren’t sensitive enough to the chemical to actually recognize the faintest of taints. TCA comes from natural corks: many are bleached for aesthetics, and if a cork is not properly cleaned after this process, the chemical compound TCA can occur. TCA causes aromas and flavors of wet cardboard (think of old, musty boxes found in your leaky basement), and results in what we called “corked” wines. TCA can be faint, or strong, but if you can recognize it, your wine is most certainly flawed.

(Note: Wine bottles stopped with synthetic corks and screw tops, or wine in bags, are not susceptible to cork taint.)

Sulfur

Sulfur is an important part of wine making. Sulfur functions as a preservative, and has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years. Sulfur even occurs as a natural part of the fermentation process. However! Too much sulfur dioxide can result in aromas of burnt matches, with bitter flavors. Too much hydrogen sulfide can result in aromas of rotten eggs, with soapy flavors.

Brettanomyces (aka Brett)

One of the more famous quotes in the wine world comes from Anthony Hanson, a British Master of Wine who once said, “Great Burgundy smells of shit.” This is one of the most unappetizing ways of describing wine that I can think of, even if it does refer to one of the world’s most regal and prestigious drinks.

Brettanomyces is a strain of yeast that can occur in wine, both before and after bottling, most commonly due to unsanitary winery conditions. Brett has been hotly debated, because when present in small amounts, it can lend a certain unique complexity, with flavors and aromas of clove, smoke, and leather. (Ever have a really, really good red Burgundy? See the above quote.) When too intense, however, Brett can cause wine to reek of barnyards and dirty socks. Definitely a good reason to send a bottle back, and try again.

What Went Wrong – Top 10 Wine Making Mistakes #8

March 26th, 2009 by robin in sulfites, wine making, wine making tips

So what can possibly be left you ask? We have discussed inadequate equipment, cleaning & sanitizing, failure to follow instructions, bad water, poor yeast handling, poor temperature control, and adding sulfite or sorbate at the wrong time. Our next wine making mistake is actually one that often done as a conscious decision based upon a misconception – Leaving out the Sulfite.

Some people believe that they are allergic to sulfites, and want to leave them out of their kits. While this is their option, it’s a bad idea. Yeast make sulfites themselves during fermentation, so no wine can ever be sulphite-free, no matter what.

Without added sulfites the kit will oxidize (similar to how apple slices turn brown) and spoil very rapidly. Oxidation will start in less than 4 weeks, and the wine could be undrinkable in less than three months. If use of the sulfites are omitted but the Sorbate is added, the wine has a high probability of being attacked by lactic bacteria, which will convert the Sorbate into the compound hexadienol, which smells like rotting geraniums and dead fish.

If you have reactions to wine and suspect that you may be allergic to sulfites, please read our article on red wine headaches and levels of sulfite in wine kits for further information on this subject.

Tomorrow’s discussion will focus on stirring your wine.

What Went Wrong – Top 10 Wine Making Mistakes #7

March 25th, 2009 by robin in sulfites, wine making, wine making tips

We are in the home stretch now. We have discussed inadequate equipment, cleaning & sanitizing, failure to follow instructions, bad water, poor yeast handling, and poor temperature control. Our next wine making mistake, adding sulfite or sorbate at the wrong time, may short discussion, but no less important.

Sulfite and Sorbate are the stabilizers in the wine making kit that work to inhibit yeast activity. Once you understand that this is the role they play in the process, it is easy to understand that if, by mistake, you add them too early your wine may not finish fermenting. If you add the Sorbate on day one, the yeast will never become active, and the kit will not ferment.

Moving on, we will tackle wine making mistake #8 – leaving out the sulfite.

Red Wine Headache – What’s the cause?

March 21st, 2009 by jolan in interesting facts, sulfites

Many people who visit our wine making shops say they themselves or someone they know suffer from headaches after drinking red wine and they ask us why. We did some research on red wine headache and found there are several different explanations as to why people are affected differently. (more…)

levels of sulfites in wine making kits

January 31st, 2009 by David in sulfites, wine making kits

Wine making kits often include packets of components required to make a great wine. Typically, a packet containing potassium metabisulfite (creates sulfites in wine) is included for use during the stabilization and clearing process.

Levels of sulfites are measured in ppm (parts per million). Approximately 9 ppm of sulfites occur naturally in wine making. In the US, a wine must have less than 30 ppm for the label to state “No Sulfites”. Sulfite levels greater than 30 ppm requires the winery to include a “Contains Sulfites” statement on the wine label.

Most wine kits create finished wines with sulfite levels around 20-30 ppm. Many manufactures suggest adding an additional 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulfite per six gallons (23 liters) of wine prior to bottling to raise the level of sulfites a bit more to help them age gracefully for a couple of years.

Commercial wines frequently contain free sulfite levels ranging around 75 ppm.

wine headaches

January 30th, 2009 by David in sulfites

What most people describe as wine headaches (or a sulfite headache) is a reaction to bio-amines formed during the malolactic fermentation process in wine making from pressed grapes, and not levels of sulfites in wine making kits. Most wine making kits do not go through a malolactic fermentation process, and do not have significant levels of bio-amines created. (more on malolactic fermentation in a future post)

Read a previous post about wine making and sulfites.

Information about wine making and sulfites.

November 21st, 2008 by David in sulfites

Potassium Metabisulfite is a stable source of sulfites in winemaking. The use of sulfur compounds is not a recent innovation. The Dutch shipping companies popularized the use of sulfur in the 16th century by refusing to ship any wines not treated. They insisted on the use of sulfites because the treated wines were the only ones that survived a long sea voyage without spoiling.

Sulfites work by releasing free sulfur dioxide, which inhibits yeast, mold and bacteria. It does this in two ways: one, it kills some of the organisms outright, and two, it blocks the surviving organisms’ ability to reproduce. If your winemaking equipment is physically clean and you’ve rinsed it with a sulfite solution, nothing will grow on it for a short period of time.

To help prevent oxidation, sulfites are also added directly to wine after fermentation. Wine oxidation follows the same pattern that you see in the cut edge of an apple—the wine turns brown and takes on a flat ‘cardboard’ taste. Sulfur binds with the oxygen in the wine and prevents this damage.

Many people worry that they may be allergic to sulfites. True sulfite allergies are very rare. It’s more likely that they have been exposed to higher level of sulfites in the past. In the 1970′s restaurants would douse their salad bars with 2000 PPM (parts per million) sulfite solutions in order to keep the produce fresh. Mixing this with acidic foods, such as salad dressings or vinegar, would cause the salad to release clouds of sulfite gas, provoking unpleasant reactions.

What most people describe as wine headaches or a sulfite headache is a reaction to bio-amines in the wine. Bio-amines are compounds formed in wines for various reasons, one of the commonest being malolactic fermentation in the presence of sugar. Some commercial wineries start malolactic inoculation before the end of alcohol fermentation, guaranteeing the formation of bio-amines. Since wine kits don’t go through malolactic fermentation they do not form bio-amines, and consequently don’t provoke allergic reactions.

Some facts that might clear up any misunderstanding about sulfites

Sulfites are a recognized food additive.
All commercially available wines contain sulfites, even those labeled ‘Kosher’ or ‘Organic. The legally allowable amount in the US for wines labeled with “No Sulfites” is 30 PPM.
Nearly all dried fruits and meats contain sulfites. Raisins, for instance, have up to 250 PPM. Frozen orange juice, bacon, dried noodles, all contain sulfite.
All grape-based wines produce sulfites naturally during fermentation, up to a level of about 10 PPM. Even with no addition of sulfites, wines will still contain them.

This is not to say that sulfites are totally benign. People with asthma or emphysema should avoid inhaling sulfite powder or the gas that comes off the prepared solution. It can act as a bronchial constrictor, aggravating any breathing problems. Also, adding extra sulfites to wine is of no benefit, as it can spoil the flavor, giving it a ‘burnt match’ smell. It’s important to follow directions for sulfite additions.