Common Wine Faults and Their Causes

Fault Substance Smells? Common Micro- Most Likely Wines

Causes organism and Comments

Hydrogen sulfide Boiled Eggs Lack of amino acids All, particularly reds.
(nitrogen) in fermenting
Sulfides* Mercaptans Onion, Garlic juice or must. At very low concentrations
(H2S) Can be avoided by the may add to complexity, but
Burnt Rubber addition of Diammonium rarely beneficial.
Smell it! Phosphate during Saccharomyces sp.
Dimethylsulfide Tinned Corn fermentation. (Yeast)
(DMS) Cooked Veges.
Low SO2. Only reds, particularly those
4-ethyl phenol Band-aid Elevated storage stored in second use
Brettanomyces* Smell it!
temperatures. barrels. Also more
More Info common in deeply coloured
Infection during barrel red wines.
4-vinyl phenol Spicy storage. Brettanomyces sp. Can add to wine complexity
(Yeast) if subtle.
Reds and particularly
Acetyltetrahydro- fortified wines as these tend
Mousy Taint* Mouse urine
to be higher in pH and are
pyridines Corn chips Low SO2
stored in barrels for
More Info Jasmine Rice High pH wines extended periods.
Smell it! Lactobacillus brevis Difficult to smell but builds
in mouth after spitting.
Sometimes accompanied by
a strong metallic bitterness.
 Fault Substance Smells? Common Micro- Most Likely
Causes organism Wines
All, never beneficial.
Acetic Acid Ullaged barrels or Gives the palate a hard
Volatile Acidity* Vinegar tanks. and hot mouthfeel.
(VA) Smell it!
Damaged fruit.
Nail polish Low SO2. Acetobacter sp. All. In reds considered
Ethyl Acetate remover or Poor winery hygiene. acceptable at low levels.
An accepted part of
solvent
botrytised wine styles.

Sherry Low SO2 during None All, particularly light

Acetaldehyde Brown apple winemaking. Low SO2 bodied whites. In whites
Oxidation and high dissolved oxygen mostly accompanied by a
Papery flavour
at bottling brown hue.
Excessive addition Can also be produced Whites, particularly light
Struck particularly at bottling by Saccharomyces yeast bodied. Rarely seen in
Sulfur Dioxide SO2 during ferment. reds as the SO2 is mostly
More Info match
bound to red pigments.
2,4,6 Tri- Musty Sealing with cork Moulds esp. Can affect any wine sealed
chloroanisole Smell it! Storage in musty barrels with a cork. Easier to
Aspergillus sp. perceive in whites and
Cork Taint* sparkling wines.
Geosmin Earthy Sealing with cork Moulds esp. Rarely encountered. All
More Info Octenol Mushroom Storage in musty barrels styles, but may seem a
Compost Aspergillus sp. 'natural' aroma in reds.
Methylisoborneol
Smell Them!

© Richard Gawel, Recognose Pty Ltd

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* You can smell theses first hand on the Wine Aroma Dictionary. www.aromadictionary.com