PSA: Cracked the code on identifying volatile acidity in young reds

I kept picking up a nail polish remover scent in my recent Pinot Noirs, which confused my tasting notes. After some trial, I learned to swirl the glass vigorously and sniff for acetic sharpness versus fruit esters. In my experience, this distinction became clearer with a side-by-side comparison of a known flawed bottle, though take this with a grain of salt as palates differ. Would appreciate any tips on calibrating for other common faults in homemade tasting sessions.

3 comments

3 Comments

cooper.kai8d ago

During a winemaking course, we spiked clean wine with acetic acid to recognize VA. Isn't it easier to identify faults when you create them yourself?

faith_palmer514d ago

Reading through this debate makes me wonder if we're overcomparing it. For casual drinkers at home, does catching every tiny fault really change the experience that much? Most flawed bottles are pretty obvious without needing a side by side comparison. The goal is to enjoy the wine, not pass a sommelier exam. If a wine tastes bad, you don't drink it, simple as that. Spending a lot of time hunting for specific flaws seems to miss the point of just having a glass.

phoenix_lopez7d ago

Cooper's method of spiking wine sounds academically tidy, but does that acetic acid addition really mimic the complex integration of VA that develops naturally over time? In a homemade tasting, you might miss the subtleties of how faults interact with other wine components like tannins or residual sugar. The original post relied on side-by-side comparisons with known flawed bottles, which seems more authentic to me for catching those nuances. How do you ensure your spiked sample doesn't just taste like pure acid instead of a genuinely flawed wine? I'm skeptical that creating a fault in isolation prepares you for the messy reality of a bottle that's just starting to turn. What's the best way to bridge that gap between lab-perfect examples and the less obvious flaws in actual wines?