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Molecule In Corked Wine Plugs Up Your Nose

Posted by Unknown on from the apply-clothespin-to-nose dept.

sciencehabit writes "Ever send a bottle of wine back at a restaurant? If you weren't just being a pretentious snob, then it was probably because the wine seemed 'corked' — had a musty odor and didn't taste quite right. Most likely, the wine was contaminated with a molecule called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), the main cause of cork taint. But a new study by Japanese researchers concludes that you do not smell TCA directly; rather, TCA blocks up your sense of smell and distorts your ability to detect odors. The findings could help the food and beverage industry improve its products and lead to less embarrassment for both you and your waiter."

16 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. So stop using corks by geek · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seriously, other than nostalgia why are they still using corks when much better methods have existed for decades?

    1. Re:So stop using corks by binarylarry · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Greetings sir, I've selected the finest cans of wine for your dining experience tonight. Would you like some pork rhines to help wash that merlot down?"

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    2. Re:So stop using corks by Nerdfest · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Very true. Stelvin closures, Plastic corks, glass stoppers, all superior. The really amazing part if all the labour that goes into each real cork. Cut, cleaned, bleached, sorted, the re-sorted, much of it by hand. It's actually amazing that they're so cheap. It really sucks when a bad $0.30 cork ruins a 60$ bottle of wine.

    3. Re:So stop using corks by Darinbob · · Score: 3, Funny

      Cans, pssh. What's wrong with boxes?

    4. Re:So stop using corks by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seriously, other than nostalgia why are they still using corks when much better methods have existed for decades?

      There's almost nothing rational in the entire wine economy.

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    5. Re:So stop using corks by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4, Informative

      In fact, a box is one of the best ways to store and distribute wine.

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    6. Re:So stop using corks by horm · · Score: 4, Funny

      All that work creates jobs. Do you want to destroy American jobs?

    7. Re:So stop using corks by blueg3 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Plastic corks, glass stoppers

      No, no. Those things suck. Plastic corks are like regular corks, except they don't get moldy and they're a royal pain to get out of the bottle. Glass stoppers are easy to get out unless you break a bottle opener on it by accident. They're also vaguely resealable.

      There are two modern methods that are amazing for wine. Screw caps are stupid easy to use, cheap, and resealable. Modern, pioneering winemakers that don't worry about what people think about the presentation use screw caps. (They also often make great wine at affordable prices.) The other method is the box (or rather, a bag inside a box). A box looks completely classless, but it's one of the best ways of storing wine because pouring wine doesn't expose any of the remaining wine to oxidation. This means you can make a (disturbingly compact) 3L box of wine and use it over the course of a week. Or two days. Or a month. The wine stays good. Mercifully, some people -- not all Australian -- are making good wine in boxes now.

    8. Re:So stop using corks by arth1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      But sometimes you want the oxidation. A couple of my favourite wines need decanting before the flavour is right.

    9. Re:So stop using corks by mrmeval · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bag in a box wine review: The polyvinylchloride adds a particularly delightful emphasis to the cardboard while the shades of petroleum
      byproducts are a welcome ablative to the virus stunted grapes musty
      grandeur.
      --mrmeval 2007

      --
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    10. Re:So stop using corks by aXis100 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You can still decant the amount you'll be drinking that night (e.g. usign a fast breather) and leave the rest in the box for another day.

      Seriously, was that so hard to figure out?

    11. Re:So stop using corks by binarylarry · · Score: 3, Funny

      They're pork rinds that are only made in the Rhine valley.

      For true connoisseurs only.

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    12. Re:So stop using corks by troon · · Score: 3, Informative

      Interestingly, polythene (e.g. cling film) neutralizes the TCA molecules in corked wine...

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  2. "cork taint" by hduff · · Score: 3, Funny

    Unintentionally funny.

    --
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  3. carafe by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you want to oxygenate the box wine before serving, just pour it into a carafe a little ahead of time. The wine remaining in the box stays as it is but the wine in the carafe gets the oxygen needed to take care of some of the tannins. Seriously, even with wine in a bottle, using a carafe is a good way to deal with tannins.

    A nice carafe can also help show off the wine itself.

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  4. Wine in boxes by demon+driver · · Score: 3, Funny

    In fact, a box is one of the best ways to store and distribute wine.

    True! I, too, buy most of my wine in boxes. Usually containing six bottles each. Very convenient!