You have been out about in your daily life and come across that perfect bottle of wine. The wine that you tried at “that” place and “that” time that all just worked! It was a complete symphony of timing, aroma, taste and experience. It was memorable and now you want to recreate that moment you talk about and remember all of the time.

So, then you find that allusive bottle at a random bottle shop in a foreign city. Very unexpected. You realise it’s the exact same wine! Same vintage, same everything. So, you eagerly and excitedly grab four bottles and head on your way to share your find with your gang of fellow wine lovers.

You all sit at the table, glasses poised, opener at the ready and as you keep telling yourself (and all of your company) how excited you are to try the best wine ever, you open it. You smell it. You pour a taste. Oh no! Something isn’t quite right!! This isn’t the same wine! What has happened? Is my memory of it not, quite right?

The truth is that wine can never be the same. It changes. Temperature changes it. Circumstances change it. It needs to be nurtured and treated like a new-born baby. But the thing is, even if you can do all of that, somethings can still change.

Wine faults are a common and frequent occurrence. They aren’t the fault of the winemaker or the winery or the vintage, they are a natural occurring phenomenon. They can happen if the winemaker had done everything right, they still might not know there is a fault until the wine is open.

What is a fault? It’s that thing that just isn’t right. It’s why the bottle you have opened doesn’t taste like the last one you opened. It’s is that smell that is a bit funky. Or the taste that is a bit flat.

Wine faults can be minor or major. They can mean drinking the wine anyway or tipping it down the sink. That’s really up to you and how much the fault makes you want to not drink the wine.

What are the causes? Many things! Wine is organic, it evolves. It interacts with other organic matter than can affect its outcome. Certainly, there can be flaws in the winemaking process, but there are other external factors as well. For example, cork taint, incorrect storage of the wine or oxidation.

So, what can you do? Treat the wine like it’s your baby. Nurture it, love it. Don’t let it get too hot or too cold. Don’t let it get shaken around or see too much light. Make sure your glassware is clean. And if you do find a fault in your wine but you want to drink it anyway, go for it!