Wine Ontology

Wine Faults

Causal defect entities — linked to sensory descriptors, styles, regions, techniques, and serving in the knowledge graph.

Additional

  • Acetaldehyde — Acetaldehyde is an oxidative compound producing bruised apple, nutty, or Sherry-like aromas when ele…
  • Diacetyl Excess — Diacetyl excess occurs when buttery, butterscotch-like aroma from malolactic fermentation or bacteri…
  • Ethyl Acetate — Ethyl acetate produces solvent-like, nail-polish-remover aromas when ester levels exceed sensory thr…
  • Film Yeast — Film yeast forms a surface pellicle on wine in tanks or barrels, causing oxidative spoilage with ace…
  • Geosmin — Geosmin produces intensely earthy, muddy, or beetroot-like aromas at extremely low detection thresho…
  • Ladybug Taint — Ladybug taint occurs when Asian lady beetles are inadvertently crushed with grapes at harvest, relea…
  • Maderization — Maderization describes the oxidative, heat-driven transformation toward Madeira-like character — amb…
  • Mercaptans — Mercaptans are volatile sulfur compounds producing garlic, onion, cabbage, or skunk-like aromas when…
  • Smoke Taint — Smoke taint imparts medicinal, ashy, or campfire-like aromas and a harsh retro-nasal finish when gra…
  • Ullage Oxidation — Ullage oxidation develops when wine in bottle or barrel has excessive headspace, allowing oxygen to …

Chemical

  • Cork Taint — Cork taint is caused primarily by TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole), a chlorophenol compound that imparts…
  • Hydrogen Sulfide — Hydrogen sulfide produces rotten-egg or sewer-like aromas when yeast ferment under stress or in oxyg…
  • Oxidation — Oxidation occurs when wine absorbs excessive oxygen, shifting color toward brown or brick tones and …
  • Reduction — Reduction refers to volatile sulfur compounds formed under oxygen-poor conditions, producing rubber,…
  • Sulfur Dioxide Excess — Excess sulfur dioxide produces sharp burnt-match, rubber band, or metallic aromas that mask fruit. S…
  • Volatile Acidity — Volatile acidity measures acetic acid and other short-chain volatile acids that produce vinegar-like…

Microbial

  • Acetobacter — Acetobacter converts ethanol into acetic acid, producing a sharp vinegar-like sourness and volatile …
  • Brettanomyces — Brettanomyces is a spoilage yeast that produces earthy, leathery, and barnyard-like aromas in wine. …
  • Lactobacillus — Lactobacillus spoilage produces sour, cheesy, and sometimes mousy off-aromas when lactic acid bacter…
  • Pediococcus — Pediococcus is a lactic acid bacteria that can produce intense buttery diacetyl, viscous texture, an…

Physical

  • Heat Damage — Heat damage occurs when wine is stored or shipped at sustained high temperatures, accelerating oxida…
  • Lightstrike — Lightstrike occurs when UV and visible light react with riboflavin and sulfur amino acids in wine, p…
  • Protein Haze — Protein haze is a visual fault where unstable grape proteins precipitate as a cloudy or milky suspen…
  • Refermentation — Refermentation happens when residual sugar or malic acid ferments in bottle, creating unintended spr…
  • Tartrate Crystals — Tartrate crystals are harmless potassium bitartrate or calcium tartrate deposits that form when wine…

Sensory

  • Bottle Shock — Bottle shock is a temporary sensory condition where recently bottled or heavily agitated wine tastes…
  • Cloudiness — Cloudiness is a visual fault where wine lacks brilliance and appears hazy or turbid due to suspended…
  • Cooked Wine — Cooked wine shows stewed, pruny, or raisined fruit from excessive heat during production or storage …
  • Mouse Taint — Mouse taint is a sensory fault producing rodent-cage or cracker-like aromas detectable mainly on the…
  • Premature Oxidation — Premature oxidation describes white wines — notably Burgundy Chardonnay — that oxidize years before …