Faults revealed in the eliminated wines at the Russian Wines Competition©
It is common practice to reveal wine faults at international wine competitions. 180 Russian wines were tasted at the Russian Wines Competition©. During the tasting there were revealed faults with a concentration exceeding the perception off-odor threshold in 17 wines which resulted in their being eliminated from the competition.
When a fault was identified the second reserve bottle of wine was always opened. If the wine fault was confirmed in the second bottle the question of elimination was brought up to the jurors. The decision on elimination of a wine from the competition was always made unanimously by all jurors, which was approved by the competition’s winemaking consultant (oenologist).
Faults revealed in the eliminated wines originated in vineyards and/or wineries, they were production faults, and had nothing to do with breaking storing conditions in retail shops.
All the wines eliminated from the competition due to faults with a high concentration, which made it impossible to access them, are listed in the table.
Wine categories:
WS – Still white wines
RS – Still red wines
SW1 – Sparkling wines produced by the tank method
SW2 – Sparkling wines produced by the traditional method
Table of eliminated wines:
| № | Producer | Wine | Category | Vintage | Region | Varieties | Cost, RUB | Place of purchase | Faults |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novyy Svet | Riesling Cuvee de Prestige. Extra Brut | SW2 | 2013 | Republic of Crimea | Riesling | 2 655 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Rubber |
| 2 | Uppa Winery | Cler Nummulite. Sauvignon Blanc | WS | 2015 | Sevastopol | Sauvignon Blanc | 2 600 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Musty |
| 3 | Elbuzd | Cabernet Franc | RS | 2015 | Rostov region | Cabernet Franc | 2 100 | Metro | Plastic |
| 4 | Inkerman | Eritazh. Saperavi Krymskoye Klassicheskoye | RS | 2015 | Sevastopol | Saperavi | 940 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Paper |
| 5 | Dom Zakharinykh | Terruar Bakkal Su | RS | 2014 | Republic of Crimea | Saperavi; Cabernet Sauvignon | 6 092 | Supermarket "Tabris" | Brettanomyces, paper |
| 6 | Oleg Repin | Aligote | WS | 2015 | Sevastopol | Aligote | 2 400 | Shop "Kuban wines" | Brettanomyces, old barrel taste, cork (TCA) |
| 7 | Vinodelnya Vedernikov | Gubernatorskoye. Golubok | RS | 2016 | Rostov region | Tsimlyanskiy Chernyy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Golubok | 720 | Brand store | Mercaptan smell, muggy |
| 8 | Inkerman | Cabernet Kachinskoe | RS | 2014 | Sevastopol | Cabernet Sauvignon | 645 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Paper, plastic, musty |
| 9 | Krymskiy Bereg | Pithos. Chardonnay | WS | - | Sevastopol | Chardonnay | 1 185 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Cabbage, plastic |
| 10 | Elbuzd | Merlot | RS | 2015 | Rostov region | Merlot | 850 | Metro | Plastic |
| 11 | Usadba Divnomorskoye | Blanc de Noir. Zero Dosage | SW2 | 2013 | Krasnodar region | Pinot Noir | 2 150 | Brand store | Vinegar |
| 12 | Novyy Svet | Cuvee. Extra Brut | SW2 | 2012 | Republic of Crimea | Chardonnay; Pinot Noir; Riesling | 940 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Plastic |
| 13 | Usadba Myskhako | Chardonnay | WS | 2016 | Krasnodar region | Chardonnay | 420 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Plastic |
| 14 | Usadba Perovskikh | Chardonnay | WS | 2015 | Sevastopol | Chardonnay | 735 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Plastic |
| 15 | Sober Bash | Pinot Gris | WS | 2016 | Krasnodar region | Pinot Gris | 1 050 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Paper, plastic |
| 16 | Oleg Repin | Pinot Noir | RS | 2015 | Sevastopol | Pinot Noir | 2 835 | Wine bar "Wine.521" | Acetic esters (ethyl acetate), plastic |
| 17 | Alma Valley | Pinot Noir. Reserve | RS | 2014 | Republic of Crimea | Pinot Noir | 2 705 | Wine boutique "Sommelier" | Acetic esters (ethyl acetate), plastic |
The possible causes of the revealed wine faults:
«rubber» is a problem of intense reduction, the fault gained in a winery;
«musty» it could be a sign of grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea and other rot, the fault gained in a vineyard; it could also be a sign of bad conservation of the wine in a winery (development of a mould), the fault gained in a winery;
«paper» is a sign of early oxidation due to overripe grapes, the fault gained in a vineyard; it could also be a storage problem in barrels, the fault gained in a winery;
«Mercaptan (a smell of rotting cabbage)» is a problem of intense reduction, the fault gained in a winery;
«plastic» is either a vat problem (a plastic tank) or reduction (particularly in barrels), the fault gained in a winery;
«ethyl acetate (a smell of acetone, nail varnish)» is a microbiological problem caused by a bacteria (mainly Acetobacter aceti), the fault gained in a winery; it may also develop or, at least, increase and become higher in concentration than its legally permitted maximum limit after wines are bottled;
«vinegar» is a microbiological problem caused by Acetic bacteria, the fault gained in a winery; it may also develop or, at least, increase and become higher in concentration than its legally permitted maximum limit after wines are bottled;
«Brettanomyces (a smell of barnyard, animal, wet horse, mousy)» is microbiological problem caused by the yeast Brettanomyces, gained in a vineyard and/or in a winery; it also may develop and become higher in concentration than its off-odor threshold limit after wines are bottled;
«cork – TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) (a smell of mould, wet cardboard)» is a problem of a cork tree, gained outside a winery; it is created by the reaction of a mould in the crevices of the cork and the chlorine-containing chemicals used in the sterilizing process;
«cabbage» corresponds to the advanced stage of reduction, the fault gained in a winery;
«muggy» is a lack of hygiene in a winery, the fault gained in a winery;
«old barrel taste» is caused by a lack of hygiene in winemaking equipment, particularly in vats or barrels, the fault gained in a winery.
LEONID FADEEV, Weinakademiker, DipWSET, WorldSom Magister Sommelier.
FRANK DUSEIGNEUR, winemaking consultant of the competition (oenologist).