Wine fault
Premature oxidation (premox)
White wines — famously white Burgundy — oxidising years earlier than they should. A real and only partly explained phenomenon.
What you notice
Smell
- Bruised apple and nutty notes in a wine that should still be fresh — also seen in Oxidation
Appearance
- Deep gold or brown colour far too young — also seen in Oxidation, Heat damage
What it is
From the mid-1990s, white Burgundy began oxidising unpredictably at five to eight years old when comparable wines had previously aged for two decades. It cost collectors a great deal and damaged confidence in the category.
A substantial amount of research went into it and no single cause was established, which is unusual and worth stating plainly rather than papering over.
The incidence appears to have reduced since producers adjusted closures, sulfur regimes and handling, but it has not been definitively solved.
It is a useful example of the wine world genuinely not knowing something, and WineHQ prefers to say so.
What causes it
- Widely investigated without a single agreed cause. Candidates include changes in cork treatment, reduced sulfur dioxide use, riper picking, more lees stirring and increased must oxidation.
- Probably a combination rather than one factor.
Can I fix it?
No — nothing will fix it
No. By the time it is apparent the wine has already advanced further than its age suggests.
What you can do
- Nothing at the consumer end beyond drinking affected wines earlier than you had planned.
- For anything bought recently, a return is reasonable.
What does not work
Published because a reader holding a spoiled bottle has usually already been told to try one of these. Correcting the specific wrong advice is more use than stating the right answer beside it in silence.
- Keeping the rest of the case longer in the hope it settles
- Premox is a batch problem more often than a bottle problem. If one is affected, drinking the others sooner is the better response than waiting.
Is it safe to drink?
Not a safety problem
Unpleasant, not harmful. You can drink it; you may not want to.
Yes. Oxidised wine is flat and sherry-like rather than harmful; it is the same chemistry that turns a cut apple brown.
Can I take it back?
For a recent purchase, yes. For something from your own cellar a decade ago, realistically no.
Sources
Sources consulted
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