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Can wine go bad? Vinegar, corked wine and the other faults, explained
Yes, wine can go bad. How to tell a corked bottle from one turning to vinegar or simply tired, what causes each, how long an open bottle keeps, and what to do with a bad one.
Updated October 2026
Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier
5 min read
The short answer: yes. A sealed bottle can be spoiled by a tainted cork, by heat or by too many years. An open bottle slowly goes flat, then sour. Most bad bottles come down to three things: cork taint (musty, like wet cardboard), oxidation (flat, brownish, bruised apple) and volatile acidity (the vinegar smell). Trust your nose: if a wine smells wrong, it usually is.
How to tell what is wrong
| What you notice | What it probably is | The cause |
|---|---|---|
| Musty: wet cardboard, a damp cellar; the fruit is muted | Corked | TCA, a compound most often from the cork |
| Sharp and sour, like vinegar or nail-polish remover | Volatile acidity | Bacteria turning alcohol into acetic acid, with the help of air |
| Flat, nutty, bruised apple; a white turning deep gold or brown | Oxidised | Too much air: an old or opened bottle, or a leaky cork |
| Stewed, jammy fruit; the cork pushed up or sticky with wine | Heat damage | Stored or shipped too warm |
| Rotten egg, struck match, cooked cabbage | Reduction | Sulphur compounds formed with too little air; sometimes fades in the glass |
| Farmyard, sticking plaster, sweaty leather | Brett | Brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast; a hint can be part of a style |
| Cabbage or wet wool in a white, rosé or sparkling wine sold in clear glass | Light strike | Bright light on the bottle |
- Musty: wet cardboard, a damp cellar; the fruit is muted
- What it probably isCorked
- The causeTCA, a compound most often from the cork
- Sharp and sour, like vinegar or nail-polish remover
- What it probably isVolatile acidity
- The causeBacteria turning alcohol into acetic acid, with the help of air
- Flat, nutty, bruised apple; a white turning deep gold or brown
- What it probably isOxidised
- The causeToo much air: an old or opened bottle, or a leaky cork
- Stewed, jammy fruit; the cork pushed up or sticky with wine
- What it probably isHeat damage
- The causeStored or shipped too warm
- Rotten egg, struck match, cooked cabbage
- What it probably isReduction
- The causeSulphur compounds formed with too little air; sometimes fades in the glass
- Farmyard, sticking plaster, sweaty leather
- What it probably isBrett
- The causeBrettanomyces, a spoilage yeast; a hint can be part of a style
- Cabbage or wet wool in a white, rosé or sparkling wine sold in clear glass
- What it probably isLight strike
- The causeBright light on the bottle
What corked wine really means
Corked does not mean bits of cork floating in the glass. Fish those out; the wine is fine. A corked wine is tainted by TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole), a compound that forms when moulds meet chlorine-based compounds in damp conditions. It most often comes from the cork, but it can also come from wood, pallets or even water in a winery, so screw caps rule out the closure, not every source. TCA smells musty, like wet cardboard or a damp basement, and even a tiny trace flattens the fruit. Air does not cure it.
When wine tastes like vinegar
Vinegar is what bacteria make of wine when they are given time and air. Acetic acid bacteria turn alcohol into acetic acid, the sourness of vinegar, often with ethyl acetate, the smell of nail-polish remover. Every wine has a little acetic acid; it becomes a fault when you can smell it. The usual story is a bottle left open too long or a wine stored badly. Once a wine tastes of vinegar, it will not come back.
Oxidised, or just old?
Air is wine's friend in small doses and its enemy in large ones. A white that has turned deep gold or brown and smells of bruised apple or nuts, or a red gone brown and flat, is oxidised. But be fair to the wine: some are made in contact with air on purpose, such as oloroso sherry, tawny Port and Madeira, and fine old wines naturally move towards amber and brick. The real question is whether it still tastes alive.
What looks wrong but is fine
- Crystals on the cork or at the bottom: tartrates, sometimes called wine diamonds. Tartaric acid from the grapes, settled out as crystals in the cold. Not a fault.
- Sediment in an old red or an unfiltered wine: stand the bottle up for a day and decant it.
- A light prickle in some young whites: a little carbon dioxide, sometimes kept on purpose for freshness.
- Petrol on an aged Riesling: a classic aroma of the grape with age, loved by many.
How long does an open bottle last?
It depends on the wine, how much air is in the bottle and how cool you keep it. Rules of thumb, with the cork or a stopper back in:
- Sparkling wine: a day or two, with a proper sparkling stopper, in the fridge.
- Whites and rosés: a few days, in the fridge.
- Reds: a few days. Keep them somewhere cool, even in the fridge, and take them out a little before serving.
- Fortified wines: tawny Port and Madeira keep for far longer. Fino and manzanilla sherry are the exception: treat them like a white wine.
- Less air, longer life: pour leftovers into a smaller bottle, filled to the top.
How to store wine so it doesn't go bad
- Cool and steady: a dark place at cellar temperature, away from the oven, radiators and sun, without big swings in temperature.
- On its side if it has a natural cork, so the cork stays moist. Screw caps can stand up.
- Away from light, above all whites, rosés and sparkling wines in clear glass.
- Drink everyday wine young. Most wine is made to be enjoyed within a few years; only some improves with age.
What to do with a bad bottle
- In a restaurant: tell the sommelier. A faulty bottle should be replaced, and a good sommelier will thank you for saying so.
- In a shop: keep the bottle, the cork and the receipt, and take them back. A good merchant wants to know.
- At home: a wine that is only tired can still go into a stew. A corked or vinegary one cannot: the fault ends up in the food.
- Not sure? Taste it next to another bottle of the same wine. The difference is usually obvious.
Spotting faults is a sommelier skill you can learn: smell them on purpose at a tasting class, and the next corked bottle will jump out at you. Studying for an exam? Start with the sommelier levels. Want to smell more in every glass? Use the right glass.
Questions people ask
Can wine go bad if it is unopened?
Yes. A tainted cork, heat, light, a leaky cork or simply too many years can all spoil a sealed bottle.
What does corked wine smell like?
Musty: wet cardboard, a damp cellar, an old basement. The fruit tastes muted and flat.
Why does my wine taste like vinegar?
Acetic acid bacteria have turned some of the alcohol into acetic acid, usually because the wine had too much air for too long. It cannot be reversed.
Does a screw cap mean the wine can't be corked?
It rules out the closure, the usual source of TCA. TCA from elsewhere in a winery can still taint a wine.
How long does wine last once opened?
Sparkling a day or two, still whites, rosés and reds a few days with the bottle closed and kept cool. Tawny Port and Madeira keep much longer.
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