Phew! This wine smells like a damp dog!

The term “corked” when applied to a bottle of wine doesn’t mean the type of stopper used in the bottle, it refers to the chemical 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, unlovingly called: TCA. The result of this taint in the wine is a taste that is usually described as dank cellar, damp dog, wet cardboard or mildew. The amount of TCA in a bottle can range from a very slight “off” aroma to one strong enough that it is detectable across a table.

TCA causes the fruit and varietal characteristics of the wine to disappear completely. While you won’t be poisoned by drinking corked wine, there’s no real upside to the experience.

Corked wine doesn’t mean the winery is dirty or that there is bad winemaking going on (although that can happen), it can come from a bad lot of corks tainted from the standard sanitizing procedure, which uses chlorine bleach. But, just when you think you’re safe from a corked wine by purchasing a screw-top or synthetically corked bottle – not so fast – other sources of TCA can come from the very act of cleaning and sanitizing the winery with chlorine, a common product used. The air that a winery breathes can be contaminated by the interaction of chlorophenols and fungi with products made of cardboard and wood, all items found inside a winery. This doesn’t play well with the aroma components in wines known as phenolics. In order to inhibit this, some wineries have switched from using chlorine to peroxide.

A tiny amount of TCA, as little as 2 parts per trillion, can denude the wine of its aromas and fruit flavors. The famed Purdue enologist, Christian Butzke, once estimated that one tablespoon of pure TCA might be enough to “cork” all the wine in the United States.

Individual noses vary in sensitivity in detecting amounts of cork taint in wine. Some people are particularly sensitive to the odor, while others may just think the wine is not so good. There are wine aroma kits that can be purchased that will give you a sample of this odor, to help you become aware of the dreaded TCA culprit.

What to do if you’ve just opened a bottle and it’s corked?
There’s a simple solution that will get you through the evening and it’s no parlour trick. Take a large wad of high quality plastic wrap (this is important because of the amount of polyethylene that it contains), crumple it up in the bottom of a decanter or large glass pitcher. Pour the offending wine into the pitcher and swirl a few times and then let it sit about 5-15 minutes. Pour the wine out into another glass container and you’ll find the cork taint is gone. What’s the miracle that saves the wine? The TCA bonds with the polyethylene in the wrap, removing the "corked" odor from the wine.