Buying a Good Wine

Before you spend your money on a wine you need to make sure you can spot faults that show when you haven't got good value for your money. millimart can help you spot some of the common faults of a poor wine, as well as let you know what you can do about it!

The faults that wines can suffer from are well known, how are often have you tasted a bottle of wine that you thought was corked or vinegary?! In fact, a higher percentage of wine is purchased that is not up to standard so it's worth knowing how to spot the signs of a poor product.

As with all purchases as a customer you are entitled to a replacement or refund if your wine is faulty. Usually contacting the online shop and explaining why you think the wine is not up to standard will help you to get a refund, however, it is important that you can be sure that the wine is faulty, after all, it's not as simple as calling the waiter to your table to ask for a replacement.

How to spot a faulty wine

Most customers and wine fans will have heard of the term 'corked' but this is only one of the many faults wine can suffer from. In most cases by using your nose and taste buds you will be able to spot a faulty wine.

A must or mouldy smelling wine is a clear sign of TCA (trichloroanisole). This shows that their has been a reaction between the wine and cork during wine-making. This fault is often as the wine being 'corked'. The taste of the wine in this case is flattened with the fruity flavour of the wine lost.

A wine smelling a little like vinegar can indicate that bacteria have been produced that can badly effect a wine's quality.

When a wine is oxidized it can appear brown and tastes a little like sherry. Oxidation is caused by the seal allowing to much oxygen to the wine, or if the wine has been left somewhere at too hot a temperature.

If a wine smells eggy it has been subject to sulphur compounds, sometimes cased by too little oxygen during wine-making.

Finally, the dreaded cork crumbs! This is sometimes confused with a wine being corked, don't worry these don't effect the quality of the drink.

Let's hope this information makes you an expert wine connoisseur.

Visit millimart for more information about how to buy a good wine.