Tool

What is wrong with my wine?

Describe what you notice and get a ranked diagnosis, with the reassuring answers flagged first when they apply.

Tick everything you notice. The more you tick, the more precisely WineHQ can narrow it down.

What does it smell like?

A smell of rot or decay rather than of wine — not vinegar, not farmyard, genuinely offPrickles the nose or catches at the back of the throatSmells distinctly of crushed geranium leavesSmells like a wet dog or a damp basementSmells like wet cardboard, damp newspaper or a musty cellarSmells of acetone or solventSmells of ashtray, burnt wood or cold cindersSmells of boiled cabbage, onion or garlicSmells of bruised apple, sherry or nutsSmells of burnt rubberSmells of cooked cabbage, wet wool or drainsSmells of farmyard, horse blanket, leather or animalSmells of nail polish remover, solvent or pear dropsSmells of rotten eggs or drainsSmells of stewed, jammy or caramelised fruit rather than fresh fruitSmells of sticking plasters, antiseptic or medicineSmells of struck matches, flint or gunpowderSmells sharply of vinegarSmells yeasty or of bread doughSmoky, bacon or clove-like notesThe wine smells of very little — the fruit seems stripped out

What does it taste like?

A drying, ashy character on the finish that builds with each sipA stale popcorn, puppy-breath or mouse-cage taste appearing seconds after swallowingA thin, metallic or drying finish, with the fruit diminishedTastes aggressively sour beyond normal acidityTastes flat and short, finishing abruptlyTastes flat, dull and lifelessThe wine smells fine but the finish is unpleasant

What can you see?

A cork pushed proud of the rim, or a bulging or leaking bottleA pale, wrinkled film or skin across the surface of the wineA white wine has turned deep gold or brown; a red has gone brick or brown at the rimClear, glassy crystals in the bottom of the bottle or stuck to the corkDark, fine, gritty deposit in the bottom of a bottle of red wineFuzzy growth, on the wine or around the neck of the bottlePieces of cork floating in the wineReddish or purple crystals in a red wineThe cork broke or crumbled while being pulledThe cork is pushed slightly proud of the bottle, or there is sticky seepage around the capsuleThe last glass from the bottle is cloudy or grittyThe wine is hazy or cloudy rather than brightVisible particles suspended in the wine

How does it feel?

A still wine has a distinct prickle or fizzThe wine pours thickly and feels oily or slippery

Nothing selected yet. Before you start: crystals at the bottom of the bottle, a little sediment in an older red and a crumbling cork are all harmless, and account for most of the worry people bring to a page like this.

What this tool can and cannot tell you

Select what you have noticed and WineHQ will suggest what it might be.

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