03/31/08 Email Question

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today we are answering a question from the email. Recently a listener wrote to ask "I have opened a few wines which I thought smelled funny at first but after they were open for awhile it seemed to go away. Why is that?" Funny we should have a question about off odors in wine just shortly after I have attended a session with my WWOW group about just that topic. The listener did not mention what the smell was or what it smelled like so I do not have too much to go on other than to assure him it was not his imagination. In fact a wine could smell bad or have an off odor when it is first opened. And Yes, In the case of some of those smells they will diminish or "blow off" as they say. But the real point I want to make here is not to necessarily identify the possible flaw in the listeners wine but to say that whether in fact there was a flaw or not the smell of a wine will likely change once it escapes from the bottle. However, if it does not smell good either like chemicals or composting newspapers it is probably flawed to some extent. The degree to which you are sensitive to the smells will likely vary from one individual to the next. If it disappears and the wine is to your liking then drink it. If it doesn't become a wine you want to drink either pour it out or return to where you purchased it. Just do me one favor  if you wouldn't drink it please don't cook with it. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.