Why should you smell the cork of the wine bottle? What information can be obtained by smelling the wine cork? What is the origin and the "history" of this practice? In our article you will find all the answers to these questions!

Why should you smell the cork of the wine bottle?

Let’s start by answering two other related questions: when should you smell the cork of the wine bottle? Who should smell the cork of the wine bottle? The answers to these questions give us important information. This allows us to fully answer our key question.

The answer to the first question is: after uncorking the bottle. Who smells the wine cork? Who uncorked the bottle, the host or the more experienced, or, if you are at the restaurant, the sommelier. In the latter case, we must make some clarifications. A sommelier must smell the cork while it is still on the corkscrew, to avoid touching it with his hands, and then place it, with a napkin, on a plate placed on the table.

Should the customer also smell the cork? No, it is not necessary. This is the job of the sommelier, but nothing prevents the customer to do this. Many people feel obliged because the cork is put on the table, as if to say: "now is your time! Check and smell the cork!".

The truth is that the cork is placed on the plate and put to the table for two other reasons:

1. check that the bottle is not false, identifying the producer’s trademark, usually printed on the cork;

2. check the integrity of the cork and whether the bottle has been properly stored. A broken cork, for example, means that the bottle has not been well preserved.

These are the two reasons why restaurants began to bring the wine cork to the customer. Again, among the original reasons there was not to smell it! This practice has become part of the habits of customers in recent times. At home, it’s our job to do this operation.

Now let’s move on to the main question. Why do you smell the cork of a bottle of wine? What do you want to find out by smelling the cork?

BY SMELLING THE CORK, IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHECK THAT THE CORK AND THE WINE HAVE NO DEFECTS OR PROBLEMS

In particular, it can be verified cork has not been attacked by that parasitic fungus, called Armillaria Mellea, that produces an aromatic compound (technically TCA) that alters the bouquet of a wine.

If, smelling cork, you feel a smell of mold, of "wet dog" or of "wet newspaper", the cork and wine have some defect and, consequently, should not be served to guests or customers.

This requires a lot of experience. Recognizing and distinguishing the classic and typical scent of cork and the defective cork is difficult, except in the most obvious cases.

In any case, before you say that the wine has faults, you have to taste it. Pour the wine into the glass and drink. There is no better way to verify its goodness. And if your cork has an unpleasant smell, confirmed by tasting wine, you need to replace the bottle.