Definition: cork taint (1)

On the motorway, cork taint also leaves a bad smell! This alteration can contaminate even the best wines, regardless of the precautions taken when selecting corks. Numerous studies on this subject have shown that cork taint has various causes that are not easily detectable.

The main causes include: the presence of micro-organisms in the bark of cork oaks, the selection of poor-quality corks, the treatment of cork with chlorinated products, the storage of corks in inappropriate conditions, etc.

Often, mouldy tastes resulting from poor wine storage conditions, the use of poor-quality barrels, etc. are mistakenly attributed to cork taint. Fortunately, genuine cork taint (also known as "stink") is not that common. It gives the wine an unpleasant corky, putrid and butyric odour, which irreversibly alters the taste and makes the wine undrinkable. Nothing can be done with it, not even good vinegar.

The practice of presenting the cork to the customer in restaurants dates back to the late^19th century. At that time, phylloxera was ravaging European vineyards and fraud was commonplace. Bottles did not necessarily contain the wine described on the label and could be used several times. To combat these practices, producers began bottling with corks printed with their brand name, and the most scrupulous restaurateurs began uncorking them in front of the customer. The cork was therefore presented to the customer so that they could read the inscriptions and not to smell it, as is often the practice today.

There is no proven link between the smell of the cork and that of the wine. See cork treatment.