How to tell if your wine has gone bad

Because no one wants to serve corked wine.

Want to know how to tell if your wine has gone bad? Watch the video below, or read out quick tips.

A glass of wine can be the perfect way to end a hectic week or celebrate a special occasion. However, if you aren’t a big drinker you may find yourself with half-empty bottles of wine in the fridge or cellar – purely because you can’t drink it all in one sitting. We’ve got some handy tips so you know how to tell if you’re wine has gone bad.

When wine has been exposed to too much air it can develop a similar taste to vinegar.
If spoiled, wine can smell like the cork that was in the bottle – like cardboard or wet dog.
Wine that has gone bad can smell like nail polish remover or rotten eggs.

But never fret – imperfect wine is good for cooking or even for cocktails, if it’s mixed in with lots of different flavours or spirits!

You might also like:

How to pick a good bottle of red, white or sparkling wine

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

On the right an image of a cut mango layer cake. On the right, a selfie of RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi holding the mango cake on a stand.

RecipeTin Eats’ Nagi Maehashi makes relatable cooking confession

cocktail glass with strawberry liquid in it, on the right side of each glass they have put a lychee for decoration. This is on a marble board sitting in front of a dark blue background

Strawberry lychee margarita

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Watermelon Daiquiri

cucumber spritz with cucumber sliver wrapped around stemless wine glass with lychee on skewer over the top

Cucumber spritz with lychee

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

2 short tumbler style glasses with a mango liquid inside, garnished with a green jalapeno and dried lime. A ladies hand is hovering above squeezing lime into the cocktails. The cocktails are on a marble table top and navy blue background.

Spicy mango paloma cocktail

A birds eye view looking at 4 old fashioned cocktails in a short tumbler glass, they have a twisted orange peel in them as a garnish. They are placed on a marble table top with a light blue rectangular plate to the left which has more garnishes on it

Tequila old fashioned

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

a tall glass with yellow liquid in it with passionfruit seeds swirling in the liquid. This is on a marble table top with a dark navy background. You can find a cut slice of passionfruit next to the glass on the right side, as well as, passionfruit vine behind the glass.

How to make the most delicious passionfruit mojito

Poh Ling Yeow’s top tips for a stress-free Christmas lunch

Which is better – Brie or Camembert?

pink background with kitchen items on the bench with small appliance hand mixer front and centre

‘I develop hundreds of recipes a year, and these are my kitchen must-haves’

The 5 new types of wine you need to know about

Laura Barry Digital Content Editor

Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

Instagram

Related

Related stories