Wine tips
Wine storage: what criteria must be met?
Temperature, humidity, light, vibrations… Read on to learn the best practices for storing your bottles and enjoying the most from every tasting.
20.07.2026
How can you tell if a wine is corked?
For any wine lover, there is nothing more disappointing than opening a carefully selected bottle only to realize that the wine is corked. This defect, although increasingly rare, is often misunderstood. Why does it happen? How can you recognize it with certainty? And is there a way to ‘save’ a corked bottle? Here’s everything you need to know to understand and identify this problem.
What is a corked wine?
Corked wine: understanding TCA
A corked wine is a wine contaminated with TCA, or trichloroanisole. This is a molecule produced when certain fungi present in cork react with chlorinated compounds used to treat vines or preserve barrels. The cork deteriorates and eventually contaminates the wine, giving it an unpleasant smell and taste.
TCA is not harmful to your health, but it destroys the wine’s flavors. This defect can affect any type of wine, be it red, white, rosé or sparkling, and expensive bottles are far from being exempt.
How can you recognize a corked wine?
Corked wine: the tell-tale signs
A corked wine can be recognized above all by its smell. TCA gives off a characteristic odor, often described as moldy or damp cardboard. This smell completely masks the wine’s natural aromas. The more severe the contamination, the more obvious this unpleasant smell will be on opening the bottle.
The flaw is quickly confirmed on tasting. The wine will seem flat, slightly sour or dry on the finish. And if, when smelling it, you detect the same musty notes in its bouquet, your wine is most likely corked.
But do be careful not to confuse a corked wine with a ‘closed’ wine. A young, unexpressive wine may need a few minutes of aeration to release its aromas. However, unlike the latter, a corked wine will never improve with time in a decanter. Even after prolonged oxygenation, the defect will persist.
Can a corked wine be saved?
What to do with a corked wine?
Unfortunately, a corked wine cannot be salvaged. However, before discarding it, try decanting it.
If the smell and taste are not too pronounced, you can use it in a sauce-based dish, such as beef bourguignon. Long cooking times can render the defect almost imperceptible, but it is best to avoid using wine with a very obvious TCA flavor.
Aside from the risk of corked wine, storing bottles properly can help reduce cork-related problems. Be sure to keep them in a stable environment : air that is too dry can cause the cork to shrink, and irregular temperatures can weaken the cork’s seal thus altering the taste of the wine.
To go further
While cork taint remains a flaw that cannot be prevented, most other forms of wine spoilage are avoidable. Proper storage protecting the wine from temperature fluctuations, unsuitable humidity levels, and light is the key to preserving your bottles.
Also worth reading:
Wine tips
Opened wine: how should it be stored?
Shelf life, accessories and location – follow Goguette’s advice on how to best store an opened bottle while preserving its flavor for several days.
