Definition: Taste of light

A defect caused by exposing bottled wines to natural or artificial light. This unpleasant taste, known as 'foxiness', is reminiscent of rancidity or even rotten eggs. White wines, particularly champagne and rosé wines, are sensitive to even short periods of exposure to light (from a few days for champagne), and even more so in clear, uncoloured glass bottles. Care must therefore be taken with champagne exposed to bright light, whether natural or artificial, on shop displays.