The non-initial swirl was also a method we used to use in the sensory lab at school. mainly to identify volatile compounds that might come out to varying degrees. The most volatile will be smelled without swirling, etc.
There are several different aroma profiles for TCA- as Cris mentioned, there is more of a chlorine smell (I usually refer to it as pool water), some like moldy/mildewy shower curtain, some like wet cardboard, etc., but I’m sure you already know that. Training can help, but everyone has different sensitivity levels, and sometimes that is just physiological. Certain people have anosmias to certain smells/tastes, and they are just not genetically able to taste/smell certain things.
The reason we stuck around is because we tried to b.s. her (it wasn’t Reanna, it was her ‘friend’) into letting Cris and I come to her house to open a few bottles. Surprise, surprise, she declined…
Linda is the voice of reason (somehow that sounds weird )
People really have different tolerance levels - I think mine is relatively high, but it seems to depend on the wine as well, sometimes I pick it up way before anybody else.
I know a lot of people dismiss this method but I smell the wine-soaked part of the cork every time I open a bottle - if it smells of wine, we’re good - if it smells of cork, we’re not. I might be BS but it works 100% of the time for me.
Another funny story, happened in SF, old cab offline (damn that was good), we had a corked wine that was definitely 100% corked, except in my glass (and the person’s sitting opposite me). Everybody did side-by-side comparison and in the last 2 glasses poured it was not corked. Weirdest thing ever (and we weren’t even drunk yet). That’s my most bizarre cork-related story.
Finally, it seems to come in streaks - no corked bottles, then 2-3 in the same night - it’s like whichever one is pulled is corked. No explanation for that one either, but I’ve seen it many times (also with oxidized or dead wines).
Everyone has a different biological sensitivity that you cannot get around.
However the letting it sit undisturbed is a first step and many people have pointed you in that direction.
The other is tasting. Even if it is below your perception, TCA tends to mute/destroy the fruit. A hollow mouthfeel when you expected more is an indication something isn’t “quite right”. Then you need to focus a bit more on the nose and also on the taste to see if you can find the telltale TCA. Not everyone can, and TCA can be below everyone’s perception but still affect the wine with this “hollow” mouthfeel and/or lack of fruit.
Do not mistake a “lack of fruit” as someone mentioned with an austere wine that isn’t as fruity as you are used to. It helps a great deal to know something about the wine and how it should show, generally (fruity, oaky, dry, sweet, austere, etc).
Finally TCA NEVER blows off. It only gets worse. So when in doubt let the wine sit and revisit it in 5 minutes. And in another 5 if you need. Is that musty/wet profile coming to the forefront more and more? Most likely TCA.
if the wine is under-performing, or frankly poor, and you suspect TCA let the glass rest and come back in 15-30 minutes; it will be undrinkable based upon my experiences.
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