Wine Faults and Flaws. Keith Grainger
cannot be seen, but will certainly be smelt and tasted. The flaw of excessive acidity, other than volatile acidity, will not be seen or smelt but will be disclosed upon the palate. It is possible for wines to exhibit multiple faults. Some faults, particularly if at a low level, may not reveal themselves upon first assessment, but become apparent upon returning to the wine after some minutes. In other cases, a characteristic that initially appears to represent a fault may dissipate after the wine has been oxygenated and kept in the glass for a few minutes. The taster should note the indicators of each fault or flaw when suspected or confirmed at each stage of the organoleptic assessment.
2.5 Appearance
2.5.1 The Appearance Assessment
The first stage in a tasting assessment is to examine the appearance. This can reveal much about the wine and give indications as to the origin, style, quality, and maturity, as well as revealing some possible faults. Faults that are or may be detectable on the appearance are shown in Table 2.1. This list is not exhaustive.
Table 2.1 Some faults detectable on appearance of wine.
| Visual indicator | Possible fault | Refer to: |
|---|---|---|
| Browning, loss of colour (red wines), ‘flat’ or dull appearance | Oxidation | Chapter 5 |
| Deepening of colour (white or sparkling wine) | Oxidation Lightstrike | Chapter 5 Chapter 6 |
| Unexpectedly light colour | Atypical ageing | Chapter 8 |
| Unexpected bubbles, sludgy sediments | Fermentation in bottle | Chapter 9 |
| Haze | Presence of yeast or bacteria. Unstable proteins | Chapter 10 |
| Cloudy appearance with brown tinges | Heat damage | Chapter 14 |
Wine appearance should be examined in several ways, including holding the glass at approximately 30° from the horizontal over a white background, a tablecloth or sheet of white paper, as illustrated in Figures 2.1 and 2.2. This will enable the clarity, the intensity of colour, and the true colour of the wine to be seen, uncorrupted by other colours in the room. Figure 2.1 shows a vibrant purple cask sample – Château Margaux 2017 (photograph taken in April 2018). Figure 2.2 shows a 40 years old Margaux – Château Lascombes 1979 (photo taken in February 2020).
Figure 2.1 A cask sample Margaux – Ch. Margaux 2017.
Figure 2.2 A 40 years old Margaux – Ch. Lascombes 1979.
2.5.2 Clarity and Brightness
A wine that has finished fermentation and been stabilised should be clear and bright. Brightness is a sign of healthiness. Brightness is how light is reflected off the surface of the wine and is related to the pH – the lower the pH, the brighter the wine usually is, as the charge on suspended particles is higher. Clarity is how light is scattered as it passes through the body of the wine, and this is related to turbidity, i.e. suspended particles. If a mature wine that has thrown sediment has been carelessly handled, then there may be fine or larger particles in suspension. This is not a fault per sé, but a natural consequence of the tertiary development of the wine. However, any packaged wine that appears cloudy, oily, milky, or otherwise murky is suffering from one or more faults, for example, refermentation in the bottle – see Chapter 9 – or ropiness – see Chapter 11.
The clarity of wine may vary from clear to hazy, and the brightness from bright to dull. Dullness may well indicate a tired or faulty wine. Wines from the New World often appear brighter than those from Europe. Wines that have high acidity, particularly if tartaric acid has been added in the winemaking process, may appear to be especially bright. On occasions, such brilliance might be an early indicator of excessive acidity, but the taster is cautioned against drawing such a conclusion at this early stage. A young wine that appears dull probably has a high pH (low acidity), which is generally indicative of poor quality and total lack of ageing potential. As wines mature, they lose brightness, and with over‐maturity, they become dull. Dullness may be one of the first indicators of oxidation.
2.5.3 Intensity
The intensity, i.e. the depth of colour, should be noted. As well as holding the glass at a 30° angle as discussed, the depth of colour can be observed by looking directly down into the wine in the glass that is standing on a white background, as illustrated in Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.3 Looking down to see depth of colour.
The intensity of wine can range from very pale to very deep. When writing a note, several steps between these extremes that might be detailed, e.g. medium‐deep. For novice tasters, it is perhaps useful to know that examining a standard tasting sample (3–4 cl) of a red wine, by holding the glass at 30° over a sheet of white paper containing printed type and the print is clearly visible, the wine may be described as pale or medium‐pale. If the print cannot be seen, then deep or very deep might be the appropriate descriptors.
Very often, wines that are pale in intensity will be lighter in flavours and body than those that are deep, but this is not always the case, and sometimes pale wines can often be overtly aromatic. Whites that have had extensive barrel ageing will have a greater visual intensity, although red wines may lose intensity after a long period in barrel. Some red grape varieties such as Merlot and Syrah (also known as Shiraz) can produce deep‐coloured wines, especially when from a hot climate, or made with small berries which have a high skin to pulp ratio, or low yielding vines. Conversely, several red grape varieties, including Pinot Noir and, to a lesser extent, Nebbiolo produce wines that are usually not deep‐coloured. However, there are some notable exceptions to this, e.g. some Pinot Noirs from New Zealand's Central Otago region. The extraction techniques used, and particularly pre‐fermentation maceration (cold soaking) if undertaken, impact upon the colour intensity. However, paleness in red wine, especially a young wine, is often indicative of a lack of concentration, which might be the consequence