- 1). Waft the wine up to the nose as to not be overwhelmed by fumes. A few recognizable odors include: a heavy raisin smell, moldy or dusty basement odors, paper or cardboard, or a strong acidic smell. All of the aforementioned are alarm bells to discard the wine.
Identify the color after the red wine has been poured into a cup. Red wine should have a pale purple color with clear consistency. Discard brownish wine, as it is likely spoiled. - 2). Place the wine in an airtight container if it is open. Oxidized wine tends to have a particular stale taste. Refrigerate the wine for a few days to see if the smell dissipates. Special vacuum pumps to remove nitrogen after uncorking and before recorking are available but expensive. If the wine is under $20, it's best to just discard the remnants.
Discard heated wine, as it may push the cork out of the bottle and cause staling. - 3). Taste the wine. Make sure the wine lacks a sulfur taste, which signifies an abnormality in the manufacturing process. The taste can also range from rotten eggs to matchsticks, depending on the method used. Red wine falters under an incorrect malolactic fermentation process, which produces a smell like "sweaty socks," says the president of the Sommelier Society of America. Cloudy appearance is an additional indicator of poor quality control. Overexposed wine tends to taste like port, or a dessert wine. Discard wines that are too sweet if it is contrary to the main dish.