Spotting Spoiled Wines

When looking out for the best wine of your choice, you should not only look out for its label. The color and smell of wine in the bottle will also determine whether the wine is spoiled.

Visually

Normally, the color of wine is clear and bright. A white precipitation in the wine indicates that bacteria which cause the spoilage are present. This is not to be confused with sediments that settle on the bottom of the wine bottle. Wine bottle stored upright causes the cork to shrink allowing the wine to be oxidized which spoils the wine. If the region surrounding the bottle shoulder and above is sticky, it also implies that there is leakage. A bottled wine should have a wine level filled up to shoulder level, any lower than that could means that evaporation have occurred due to leakages. All these spoils the wine.

Smell

 Wine that smell like sherry could indicate oxidation has occurred. If is smells like a vinegar , it means that the wine has been completely oxidized. Musty smells are due to contaminated corks which dull the wine.