The V Spot

Rants, observations, and home decorating... from a woman with no time for a blog.


  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
    • Privacy Policy
  • All Blog Posts
  • Crafts
    • All projects
    • By Project
      • Accessories
      • Artwork
      • Before & After
      • Cheap & Easy
      • decor
      • Floral Design & Centerpieces
      • Furniture
      • garden & outdoors
      • Glass
      • no-sew
      • Upcycle – Recycle
      • Wreaths
    • By Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • By Materials
      • corks
      • epsom salt
      • fabric
      • Mod Podge
      • Paper
      • Spray Paint
      • Sticks
    • Round-Ups
  • Holidays
    • Halloween
      • Pumpkins
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • 4th of July
  • Food & Drink
    • All recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dish
    • Main Dish
    • Desserts
    • Drinks & Wines
    • Tables & Decor
  • Real Life
    • Family
      • Grant
      • parenting
    • Tales To Tell
    • friends
    • Keepin’ It real
    • Tips & Tricks
      • cleaning
      • Health & Beauty
      • Let me help you
      • organization
    • Just Funny
      • No Mom wants to hear…
      • Exchange of the Day
      • Snarky
      • wacky strangers
      • Big Time Fail

What does it mean when wine is corked? (How to tell a bad bottle.)

May 14, 2014 7 Comments

Corked wine…?  Doesn’t wine normally come with a cork?  Whaaaat?   Is this when the wine has little bits of cork floating in it…?

No.  When you hear the term “the wine is corked”  it is referring to wine that has been contaminated with cork taint.

corked wine

Last week I shared my favorite wine gadgets and tools, and last week I also opened a bottle of wine that was corked.

Contrary to what it sounds like, cork taint doesn’t taste like cork.  It will, however, make your wine smell and taste like a damp basement or a wet dog.   Neither of those things are very nice.  When the waiter offers you the cork and expects that you will inspect it and sniff it, you can usually already smell if the wine is corked.

There is a chemical compound called TCA (2,4,6 – trichloroanisole, if you care about the science-y aspect of it.) TCA is formed when natural fungi (which can reside in cork) come in contact with certain chemicals, bleaches and other sanitation and sterilization products that wineries need to use. The wine becomes tainted if the winery uses the infected corks.

This is a pretty serious problem for the winery, because TCA can contaminate an entire cellar or winery, not just a single bottle.  Most wineries have totally eliminated the use of chlorine based clearing products because TCA can be so difficult to get rid of.

Cork taint can’t hurt you, but it ruins your bottle of wine… and who wants that!?  I mentioned that I opened a bottle of wine the other night and it was corked.  (If you follow me on Instagram you already saw me complaining about it.)  I returned the bottle to the store where I purchased it.  They took it back without question.   Note:  It is best to not try and return a mostly empty bottle…  They offered to replace it with a new bottle, but I declined.  If one bottle was corked, chances are the others in that shipment were as well.

Life is short.  If the wine isn’t good, don’t drink it!

Filed Under: Let me help you, wine

Comments

  1. Shannon Fox says

    May 14, 2014 at 5:30 PM

    This is so good for me to know for entertaining since I don’t drink but would want to be aware of something like this!

    Reply
    • vivienne says

      May 14, 2014 at 5:43 PM

      The smell gives it away every time. 🙂

  2. Dee @Cupcakes&Crowbars says

    May 14, 2014 at 8:37 PM

    I’ll be honest, I googled it after your IG post, because I had no idea! I’ve gotten bad wine before, just didn’t know why. We winos NEED more PSA’s like this, Viv!

    Reply
    • vivienne says

      May 14, 2014 at 9:07 PM

      Cheers! Glad it helped! 🙂

  3. Impulsive Addict says

    May 14, 2014 at 8:53 PM

    You said taint. Cork taint. I’m dirty. Sorry.

    Anyway, this was educational for me. I would not know what to do if a waiter handed me a cork to inspect. I’d probably drop it in my purse to put in my wine cork collector.

    Wet dog? Really? Gross.

    Reply
  4. JaneEllen Jones says

    May 15, 2014 at 4:53 PM

    We’re not wine drinkers but if I were somewhere and somebody got a corked bottle I’d know what to tell somebody to do. Wet dog, ooooeeeehhhh.
    Happy weekend

    Reply
  5. Sharon says

    February 17, 2022 at 11:14 AM

    Thank you for explaining this phrase. I’ve read it in a comments section in reviews of a wine and had never heard of it before. Now we’ll know what We should and shouldn’t smell in a cork. I’m hoping the waiter is familiar with the term If we ever refuse a wine after smelling a bad cork.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

you might also like:

My essential wine tools (And the comment from a 10 year old that got this started.)
How to use an indoor chandelier outside.

A simple tip to clean cloudy looking glasses.
An easy pre-holiday wine and cheese ornament exchange party.

Why stocking up on birthday gifts should be part of your back to school supplies…
Goode Wine, Goode Times, and Goode Deeds: Giving back with Murphy-Goode Wine and Operation Homefront.

Tip of the day: cutting corn off of the cob.
A handy tip to keep your dog from spilling water and food. (Especially great for camping.)

Freezing tomato paste: Use what you need and save the rest.
The secret to melt in your mouth steaks… (Make cheap-o cuts taste like prime.)

Recent Posts

  • Spooky porch decor and a Halloween Chair.
  • DIY Plaid Wine Glasses
  • Easy Sand-N-Sea Flower Pots
  • How to use an indoor chandelier outside.
  • Quesadillas made with slow cooker Carnitas. (Pork in a crock pot… nothing is easier.)
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using fabric and a glue gun.
  • Upcycle project: plain flower pot into decorative ceramic planter.
  • An easy Valentine’s Day globe.
  • Simple, winter themed decor. (Using what you already have, of course.)
  • Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Vivienne Wagner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • Cleaning Stove Burners & Grates using Ammonia (The best...
    Comments (631) | Jul 07, 2011
  • Easy Dessert Recipe: Oreo Cheesecake Bites
    Comments (64) | Mar 04, 2014
  • How to store fresh produce – From A to Zucchini.
    Comments (111) | Jan 25, 2012
  • No Sew Project: How to recover your outdoor cushions using f...
    Comments (109) | Mar 03, 2018
  • DIY wine bottle crafts.
    Comments (10) | Aug 22, 2013
Privacy

Copyright © 2023 The V Spot · Website by Houndstooth Media Group