What is that sour taste?

Not sure if I am becoming more sensitive to something but most of the reds I have drank lately have had a subtle sourness to them that I find unpleasant. I often don't notice it initially but with some time it seems to become more aparent. My wife does not seem to taste it and I really had not noticed this as a consistent issue until the last few month. It seems to be predominately an issue with red wine but then again we drink probably 90% red so maybe just not enough whites consumed lately to notice. Besides that there seems to be no correlation. Just in the last two weeks have noticed it in a 99 Turnbull, a 05 Juan Gill, a 00 Haut-Medoc (La Croix Margautot) and the kicker is tonight a 97 red blend from Horton Vineyards in Virgnia that is 80% Touriga.


Any ideas?

Have you started taking (or changed) any supplements, especially minerals like zinc or magnesium?

I have never taken supplements and there has not been a significant change in diet either. However, I have been taking a lot more antihistamines over the last 2 months and most likely had taken some the days that I have noticed this sour taste.

I have been taking a lot more antihistamines over the last 2 months . . .

Can't base this on anything other than my experience with antihistamines, Brian, but I'd say that could definitely be the issue.

Have you started taking (or changed) any supplements, especially minerals like zinc or magnesium?

Can you explain further, Cynthia?

i agree - a change in toothpaste, medicine, diet, is the most likely cause. this has happened to me - once i picked up the wrong arm and hammer toothpaste - not the one i usually used and it happened.

I am willing to asign blame to the antihistamines but any ideas why it seems to only be an issue with red wines? Last night, they Seyval we had with the chicken and rice did not show the same sourness.

I am thinking that in some way the antihistamines are making me more sensitve to the lactic acid. In this case wines that do not go through MLF or only partial MLF may not show the same sourness.

The sourness comes from the acetic acid in the wine, as described in this brief paragraph from The Oxford Companion to Wine.

Acetic acid, a simple two-carbon fatty acid and one of the more common organic chemicals encountered in foods, it is also the most comon of the volatile acids, and main flavour constituent responsible for the sour taste of vinegar. Acetification of a wine begins when it is exposed to oxygen, which allows acetobacter bacteria to transform the wine's alcohol into acetic acid. Such a wine may be described as acetic. Acetic acid is also directly produced during primary fermentation and most wines have detectable acetic acid levels which are the result of normal yeast activity. It is the main contributor to the measure of volatile acidity in wine.

The question then is why are you tasting it more these days? I have never seen a reference to the possibility that antihistamines have side-effects on the palate, but I have not looked into this. Since I also take antihistamine to control my dust mite allergy, this is definitely of interest to me.

I have noticed that letting wine sit out too long really brings out the acetic acid. As an experiment, let a very small amount (say 1/4 ounce) of red wine sit in a glass for an hour, and then taste it. You will find that the acetification, as described above, becomes quite apparent.

Another point to consider is the fact that all wine contains some amount of acetic acid to begin with. When the wine is young, the primary fruit flavors more easily mask small amounts of acetic acid. Then, as the wine ages and the bold fruit flavors begin to disappear, its acetic acid may become more prominent to you. And don't forget that some wines simply have too much acetic acid to begin with, and they will have sourness even when young.

Finally, do not overlook food pairings. Some people think chocolate and Cabernet Sauvigon are a wonderful match. For me it is a non-starter, because the sweetness of the chocolate makes the wine seem quite acetic.

This was a good question, and I hope this discussion helps.

-- Clark

I have noticed that letting wine sit out too long really brings out the acetic acid. As an experiment, let a very small amount (say 1/4 ounce) of red wine sit in a glass for an hour, and then taste it. You will find that the acetification, as described above, becomes quite apparent.

Thanks Clark and that makes a lot of sense to me. We usually open a bottle and drink in smaller (2 oz+/-) pours over the course of the evening. The sourness is almost never noticable in the first glass but usually by the second and always by the third.

I will have to look it up later but I am assuming that the more exposure to oxygen in the making of red wine versus white would result in higher acetic acid levels in red and thus explain why I experience it more in red wine than white.