Happy Wine Wednesday Everyone. Today let’s answer the question, Can wine go bad? Yes, it can, and here are some tell-tale signs that this has occurred. Let’s take a look at the signs…
There are three things people look at to tell if their bottle of wine has gone bad. One is the appearance of the wine, the second is the scent of the wine and the third is the taste.
The Appearance of the Wine
A change in color may indicate a problem with the wine. The wine may begin to darken. White wine may turn a brownish color and red wine can begin to brown or darken.
A change in opaqueness may occur. A bottle of wine that starts out clear and turns cloudy may be a hint that your wine has gone bad.
If the wine develops tiny bubbles and it is not a bubbly wine something may be amiss with your wine. Here is what Chaumette says about those tiny bubbles that should not be there…
“Also, if you notice any tiny bubbles in the beverage and it isn’t a sparkling wine to begin with, then your wine has undergone a secondary fermentation. We don’t recommend drinking it pretending it’s a sparkling wine – you’ll be disappointed by the sour, spritz-y taste.”
Wine Scent Descriptions of Wine Gone Bad
The Warning Scents…
Wet dog
Nail polish remover
Cabbage
Barnyard
Vinegar
Sauerkraut
Applesauce
Burnt Marshmallows
Burnt Rubber
Garlic
Wet cardboard
Band-aids
A burnt smell of matches
Taste
The wine will taste out of balance if it has gone bad. Many say they taste vinegar or horseradish in bad wine.
I have only experienced “bad wine” once. I remember taking a sip and it tasted like vinegar. Not knowing much about wine at the time I mentioned it to my wine tasting partner and she said: “if it tastes like vinegar it has gone bad”. We proceeded to dump the wine out.
I will be looking at what causes wine to go bad in an upcoming post.
Happy Wine Sipping Everyone!
KathieyV🍷
Check out my past post on “How Long Does An Opened Bottle of Wine Remain Drinkable”