An experience recently changed the way I look at wine — and especially how others view it.
I pulled the natural cork to open a bottle of wine and poured a glass. Instantly I knew that it had been ruined by cork taint. The cork had been infected with a chemical called TCA that I occasionally see when natural corks are used to seal wine bottles.
Without getting too technical, TCA imparts a moldy smell to bottled wines and it’s noticeable to most professionals at concentrations as low as 3 parts per trillion. I’ve tried many wines that had far more than that amount, making the wine awful to me and professional winemakers, wine competition judges, and retail wine shop owners….