Discovery
A wine "with a fault" isn't just a wine you don't like — it's a technically flawed wine, recognisable by precise signals. Knowing them saves you from two mistakes: sending back a perfectly sound bottle by mistake, or keeping a broken one out of embarrassment.
The smell: wet cardboard, damp cellar, soggy newspaper. The fruit disappears, replaced by cardboard that masks everything.
The cause: a molecule called TCA, contaminating the cork during manufacturing. It has nothing to do with cork bits floating in the glass — that's not a fault, just a cosmetic detail.
The move: at a restaurant, a corked wine gets sent back without discussion. It's a manufacturing flaw, never your fault.
The smell: cooked apple, walnut, sherry-like, a colour that's turned brown/amber for a white or brick for a red.
The cause: too much air made contact with the wine — a failing cork, a bottle too old for its ageing potential, or open too long.
The trap: some wines are deliberately oxidative (Jura Vin Jaune, Sherry, Madeira) — in that case, it's not a fault, it's a style. Context makes all the difference.
The smell: rotten egg, garlic, cooked cabbage, sometimes a just-blown-out match.
The cause: the opposite of oxidation — not enough oxygen during winemaking or right after bottling.
The fix that works: decant the wine, or swirl it vigorously in the glass for 30 seconds. Many light reductions disappear with a bit of air. If the smell persists after that, it's a genuine fault.
The smell: vinegar, nail polish remover, varnish. At very low levels it can add complexity (some natural wines tolerate it) — but past a threshold, it's a clear fault.
Facing a suspect wine:
→ Train yourself to spot faults on Verso with the dedicated mini-game — nose on glass, zero risk.