Corky / Cork Taint

(See also: Cork, Screw Cap / Stelvin)

Cork taint or the corky aroma in wine has become much rarer since the last turn of the century thanks to a lot of hard work by the cork industry. It is best described as the smell of moldy newspaper or wet cardboard and results from contamination of the wine with TCA (2,4,6-trchloroanisole). TCA doesn’t occur naturally and is only formed when certain types of microbes grow on the bark of the cork tree (or wood, cardboard, paper) in the presence of chlorine, for example found in many cleaning agents. The usual point at which it forms is in factories when dirty cork is “cleaned”. Most people can smell TCA when it is present at concentrations of just a few parts per trillion and find wine less aromatic and harmonious when they are contaminated at this level. At Gut Hermannsberg we use the best corks we can find, but sadly the TCA problem hasn’t been entirely solved.