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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
Is there a device or some way to detect a "bad cork" prior to opening a bottle of wine?
—Michael D., Atlanta
Dear Michael,
The technology exists, but it's not widely available. Last I heard, there's a machine that costs about $50,000 that collects molecules on the cork and foil of a bottle of wine without penetrating the bottle, and those molecules are analyzed by a second machine for the presence of "cork taint," or TCA (the chemical compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, which causes a frustrating musty character in wine). So far the device has just been in limited use by restaurants and auction houses for rare bottles. No word yet on a consumer version for our everyday wine.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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