It has never happened to me yet but it is definitely possible to have a corked wine with a synthetic cork. The TCA infection can happen in the winery before the wine is bottled.
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I've seen it happen with synthetic corks. I've also seen very, very off bottles sealed with a screw cap. I did not use the word "corked" for those, as I'm struggling to understand how they picked up the telltale wet cardboard aromas without a cork?
Tom Hudson Owner Domaine Hudson wine bar & eatery 1314 Washington St. Wilmington, DE 19801 (302) 655-9463 http://www.domainehudson.com
Posts: 342 | Location: Wilmington, DE | Registered: May 08, 2003
Originally posted by cuffthis: I've seen it happen with synthetic corks. I've also seen very, very off bottles sealed with a screw cap. I did not use the word "corked" for those, as I'm struggling to understand how they picked up the telltale wet cardboard aromas without a cork?
See wineismylife above.
The wet cardboard you smell is not the cork, ergo a cork need not be present. The culprit is a compound called trichloroanisole (TCA), and it can be present just bout anywhere. Some cellars have been completely gutted and rebuilt in efforts to produce untainted wine.
Posts: 528 | Location: ann arbor, MI | Registered: Mar 18, 2002
Originally posted by cuffthis: I've seen it happen with synthetic corks. I've also seen very, very off bottles sealed with a screw cap. I did not use the word "corked" for those, as I'm struggling to understand how they picked up the telltale wet cardboard aromas without a cork?
See wineismylife above.
The wet cardboard you smell is not the cork, ergo a cork need not be present. The culprit is a compound called trichloroanisole (TCA), and it can be present just bout anywhere. Some cellars have been completely gutted and rebuilt in efforts to produce untainted wine.
Agreed. TCA isn't limited to the cork only. Rarer in other circumstances but still possible.
-------------------- "One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable."
Marcel Ayme`
Posts: 7285 | Location: The Left Coast | Registered: Dec 01, 2001
BV's 1998 vintage (is that right?) I believe had a problem with TCA taint that was not from the corks, but the winery itself. TCA can be present in the palates that the move wine around on, the barrels, the cement floor that we spit on, and many other parts of the winery in my understanding.
So corked wines are still possible with alternate enclosures.
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Watch out for drunk typing, what you say may be permanent.
Posts: 445 | Location: Tahoe City, CA | Registered: Apr 17, 2006
Originally posted by wineismylife: It has never happened to me yet but it is definitely possible to have a corked wine with a synthetic cork. The TCA infection can happen in the winery before the wine is bottled.
I've only experienced a corked wine once, while at a tasting. It was explained to us exactly as stated above.
Flaws are often blamed on closures when they can come from any number of sources. Makes you wonder how many "corked" bottles are actually tainted by other means.
...Been dazed and confused for so long, it aint true...
Posts: 1473 | Location: Lincoln NE | Registered: Jul 14, 2006
___________________________________________________ It's good to try them young too and then let them age - James Suckling Infanticide can be very satisfying - Robert Parker I drink mine young to avoid disappointments - James Laube
Posts: 5067 | Location: Atlanta, GA | Registered: Jun 03, 2004
Some wines may taste like burnt hair if they have undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle. No cork required here. I have experienced it in some Alcasian whites (are there any Alcsian reds?).
Alcohol...a perfect drug, but a terrible food
Posts: 788 | Location: Philadelphia, PA | Registered: Nov 15, 2001
Think about this; if a company does not use corks, they no not need TCA, since TCA is used to bleach corks (yes?). So why would a winery have a "corked" wine if it did not use cork (i.e. TCA). I have tasted some pretty bretty reds which may be mistaken for corked wines, and I have had some crappy wines that were probably not reall TCA corked, just crappy.
Alcohol...a perfect drug, but a terrible food
Posts: 788 | Location: Philadelphia, PA | Registered: Nov 15, 2001
Some barrels, wood in structures and other wooden implements treated with clorophenols have been suspected of creating TCA taint.
Just ask Drazi, he can taste it even where it doesn't exist....
-------------------- "One may dislike carrots, spinach, beetroot, or the skin on hot milk. But not wine. It is like hating the air that one breathes, since each is equally indispensable."
Marcel Ayme`
Posts: 7285 | Location: The Left Coast | Registered: Dec 01, 2001
Originally posted by Natester: BV's 1998 vintage (is that right?) I believe had a problem with TCA taint that was not from the corks, but the winery itself. TCA can be present in the palates that the move wine around on, the barrels, the cement floor that we spit on, and many other parts of the winery in my understanding.
So corked wines are still possible with alternate enclosures.
I think it was 1999, wasn't it?
----------------------- Le vin français est inférieur Du vin français est surestimé Le vin français suce
Posts: 3032 | Location: ATL, GA | Registered: Jan 10, 2004
Originally posted by Natester: BV's 1998 vintage (is that right?) I believe had a problem with TCA taint that was not from the corks, but the winery itself. TCA can be present in the palates that the move wine around on, the barrels, the cement floor that we spit on, and many other parts of the winery in my understanding.
So corked wines are still possible with alternate enclosures.
I think it was 1999, wasn't it?
I think it was '99 too. Not to say my memory is any better.
Posts: 308 | Location: Santa Clarita, CA | Registered: Oct 10, 2006
G&P Nut, thanks for the link. Installation of the humidifier was apparently a potential problem at BV and the article makes reference to "air born" transmission. While I would expect the odds are low, what does the group think about the possibility of contamination in our own cellars when we unwittingly purchase and store a bottle(s) that is tainted by TCA?
Nice link. For the record I have had a fair amount of corked wines that were sealed with alternate closures, No where near as much though, pretty rare.
To respond to an earlier post also, TCA is a byproduct of the mold that grows in the cork, not a cleaning compound if I understand correctly.
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Watch out for drunk typing, what you say may be permanent.
Posts: 445 | Location: Tahoe City, CA | Registered: Apr 17, 2006
I've only experienced a corked wine once, while at a tasting. It was explained to us exactly as stated above.
