Skunk Nose

Is it my imagination or does skunk in wine get worse with air? A recent red upon opening had no detectable skunkiness but later in the evening it seemed to come out.

Define what kind of skunk. The most common skunkiness I get is from very reductive wines and usually reduction tends to blow off with air.

However, lightstrike-skunk or that skunkiness which most people associate with brettanomyces funk tend to just grow with air contact.

And then there are lots of other kinds of skunk beside these.

Depends on what you are calling skunk. It can be related to a number of different things. Sometimes it’s a result of some kind of sulfur compound and depending on what that is, it can combine with oxygen and become less volatile, therefore seeming to “blow off”, or it can simply become worse with additional air exposure. And sometimes it can be something else entirely, like a bacteria. Or it may be that the compounds were not as volatile at the pH level or oxygen level of your wine, but get worse when they mixe with your saliva, after which you’re cued to pick them up whether you try or not.

Lots of possible faults and not one answer. I’d think that if it got worse to the point that the wine became undrinkable, it’s time for trying some Saran Wrap in the glass or a piece of copper wire and time to open another bottle.

It wasn’t off putting at all. Just very apparent after being opened during the course of dinner. Did not notice it so much with the meal. Just after eating and finishing the bottle. I didn’t view it as a flaw. Just curious.

Semi-related: Brett & reduction can often be confused for each other…the difference is reduction goes away with air time (goes away partially or completely) whereas Brett gets worse with air. So I’d guess yours was Brett.

Things get caught in the crush pad.

Leonard – What was the wine? Some grapes are more prone to reduction than others, and some types and producers are known for brett.

+1

Dolcetto. Sangiovese?

This is just another example of how ‘challenging’ sometimes to discuss wine words - there is no way to know that we are talking about or discussing 'the same thing '.

This is quite apparent whenever VA, reduction, or Brett is discussed - ‘we’ just don’t always see it the same way . . . And with bottle variation, how do we even know were2 having the same 'wine ’ with the same attributes?

Cheers.

TCA gets worse with air, reduction needs a copper stir stick which helps clear up the issue.

If I had a dime for each time I’ve heard “I know the difference! You’re wrong. Brett blows off with air.”

Very occasionally reduction will require copper (or sometimes, copper + other things). The majority of time, air time and/or addition bottle age will resolve the reduction (air time because the reduction compounds have a much higher perception threshold when the compounds are oxidized, aka air time). Plus, the majority of cases that require copper present themselves while in barrel (so the winemaker can deal with it). Adding copper would be faster than giving the wine air, but there’s a cost (in terms of lost complexity…the copper will bind to a variety of things).

Wes: do I get a cut of the dime?

‘we’ just don’t always see it the same way . . .

But that’s so sad. . .

I know that you know exactly what I’m saying, my friend

Skunk and funk are such vague terms they only serve to confuse. Just describe in best detail what you are experincing. Wet wool blanket, cabbage, fecal matter, sulphur, burnt rubber, chicken coop, etc are much more helpful and easier for common understanding.

Also still not sure what wine it was.

I don’t understand. Dolcetto is a grape from Piedmont and sangiovese is a grape grown mainly in Central Italy and Emilia-Romagna.

As I recall, there are issues with dolcetto is if isn’t racked enough to separate the wine from the lees (dead yeast). Oliver McCrum would know. I gather that can give the wine some kind of funky note. I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered that, though.

I can’t think of anything specific to sangiovese that would produce anything “skunky.”

Skunk and funk are such vague terms they only serve to confuse.



I don’t understand. Dolcetto is a grape from Piedmont and sangiovese is a grape grown mainly in Central Italy and Emilia-Romagna.



I know that you know exactly what I’m saying, my friend >

I’m confusder and confusder.

It smelled like skunk. Like when you pass a dead skunk and that smell wafts into your car. Only not as strong but still that aroma.

It was a domestic Dolcetto. USA.

The only skunk I’ve ever smelled was a dead one splayed on the road or caught in someone’s clothes, don’t think I’ve ever had skunk in wine. Are you speaking of sulfur, because I’ve gotten that in a lot of wines?

Just asked another taster and she said “barnyard”.