Although modern technology has wiped out many of the wine fault
problems of the past, the modern consumer should still be aware
of possible defects that can ruin any bottle of wine. One of the
oldest and most common problems with wine surprisingly involves
the cork. Corked wine is wine which has been sealed with a cork
contaminated with cork mold. Although certain light levels of
corkiness can remain undetected even by professional tasters,
corkiness is widely considered a fatal flaw which ruins the
flavor and aromas in the wine. Heavy corkiness is easily
detectable by the mildewy, damp cardboard like smell and flavor
it imparts to the wine. Although the problem is not as grave as
it used to be and producers are coming up with new ways to
prevent it, about 4 percent of wines still become corked.
Another fault that wine can develop, although a less common one,
is known as oxidization. Oxidized wines have been exposed to air
for a greater period of time than desirable. Although some
oxidization is necessary to