Research: Mechanism of cork taint in wine clarified

26 September 2013

A group of researchers at Osaka University in Japan have found that 6- trichroloanisole (TCA), the cause cork taint [bouchonné in French] in wine, suppresses olfactory signal transduction. Even if an ultralow volume of TCA is in the wine, humans sense a deterioration of taste. Wine that has been "corked" is not marketable and is disposed of. The economic loss due to cork taint is estimated to be as much as 1 trillion yen a year; however, the TCA mechanism behind cork taint has been unknown. An article about the study is published in PNAS (Press Release Osaka University, 17 September 2013).
Click here for the press release.
Click here for the article (1.08 MB).

This news item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update. If you have any questions, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411.