To drink or not to drink...that is the question.

How do you know if a wine is not drinkable anymore? So many people ask us this question.  There is a difference in wine that does not fall in your taste and wine that should be poured down the drain. Here are a few guidelines to look out for.

Corked
The most common flaw in wine comes from a defective cork that infects the wine and turns the aroma to a mildewed, wet-cardboard smell and the taste to a flattened, dried out sensation. The wine is called “corked” or “corky.” You should send it back in a restaurant or ask the wine merchant who sold it to you to exchange it for a good bottle.

Oxidized
The oxygen in air makes a good wine go bad in a day or two if an opened bottle isn’t properly looked after. An oxidized wine smells like stale bread or weak vinegar. This is a particular hazard with wines by the glass at restaurants, where half-empty bottles are often kept on the bar overnight. Refrigeration helps, even for reds. Another preventive measure is pouring the wine into a smaller container like a half-bottle (375 milliliter) with a tight lid so that it fills to the top and excludes any air.

Cooked
We often recommend to people who will travel far with wine to keep it in a cool place. Wine can be “cooked” if kept in hot attics or trunks, above stoves or in frugally minded corporate offices where the AC is turned off over the weekends. It’s a slow simmer, but the wine gets ruined before long. It will look brownish around the edges of the glass (whether red or white) and may smell caramelized. If you also noticed that the cork in the bottle was pushed up and partway out, it’s probably cooked. This often happens when you travel far with wine in the car.

Going through malolactic
Winemakers put most red wines and many whites, especially Chardonnay, through a mild secondary transformation in addition to the yeast fermentation that turns them from grape juice into wine. The conversion is called malolactic. But if a winemaker isn’t careful, the malolactic can happen after the wine is bottled. The result can vary from a mild effervescence to a totally stinky aroma and bizarre flavours. One frequent sign is an unusually cloudy or hazy appearance.

Sulphury

Here I can write a book. All wines contain sulphites, whether they are added or not, because it is one of those extracurricular products of yeast fermentation. Sulphur dioxide is added to virtually all wines in very small quantities (10 to about 100 parts per million) to help prevent oxidation and bacterial growth. That’s why you see the note on the label that says “Contains Sulphites.” Sulphur is a good thing in moderation, but if the winemaker adds too much, then the wine smells like matchsticks and can prickle the inside of your nostrils. Some people are allergic to sulphur and then a “Low Sulphite” or “No Sulphites Added” wine is recommended. We recommend that you try the Stellar Organic range.

Bottle Shock

This is a reaction that occurs in wine immediately after corking, resulting from oxygen being absorbed during the bottling process. This small amount of oxygen introduced during this process will not usually oxidize or ruin your wine, but rather in the long run it helps during the maturation process. Bottle Shock is characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavours in the wine. The wine may have a flat flavour and aroma, and may sometimes be accompanied by an off-putting odour. Bottle Shock can also be caused if sulphur dioxide is added during the bottling process, also affecting the flavours and odour of the wine. It is a temporary condition and your wine will need time, 8 to 10 weeks, to get over the shock of being transferred. The wine must rest and recover, working inside the bottle to reach a new equilibrium.