Band aid-antiseptic notes in wine.

Twice over the course of the last few weeks, I have had wines that exhibited moderate to strong smells and tastes of band aids-antiseptic.

Both were from South Africa: one was a 100 per cent Shiraz and the second was a Shiraz-Pinotage blend.

Can someone tell me what causes this? Is it a flaw or would the answer to that question depend on the person answering?

Thanks.

this is one fairly common form that brettanomyces infection takes. i'm told it is the 'bloom' stage of the yeast. later it turns to the more talked about 'barnyard' smell. not everyone can detect it any more than everyone detects the barnyard or any other flaw. for both it is certainly less than 50% - probably much less.

Twice over the course of the last few weeks, I have had wines that exhibited moderate to strong smells and tastes of band aids-antiseptic.

Both were from South Africa: one was a 100 per cent Shiraz and the second was a Shiraz-Pinotage blend.

Can someone tell me what causes this? Is it a flaw or would the answer to that question depend on the person answering?

Thanks.

Band-aid - a classic desccriptor for Brettanomyces.

How timely. I had this last night. I know it falls in line with Brett ... but I had it in a 94 Cali cab ... not something I have noticed in Cali cab before ...

I'll post a note later.

Jason

i'm told it is the 'bloom' stage of the yeast. later it turns to the more talked about 'barnyard' smell.

Thanks. I hadn't heard about that being in the "bloom" stage. I actually am not too bothered by the barnyard ... as long as the fruit is not killed ... but I don't like the band aid thing.

Jason

According to Tom Stevenson's Aromas and Flavors

BAND-AID
Pansement adhésif (F) Heftpflaster (G) Cerotto (I) Tirita (S)
The distinctive odour of Band-Aids or sticking plasters (sometimes referred to as surgical bandages or hospital smell) is a naturally occurring volatile phenol defect caused by an enzymic decarboxylation by yeast.
4-vinylphenol

Others say that its due to the yeast Brettanomyces or Brett, but Stevenson puts Brett as “The horsey odour (also referred to as stables, sweaty-saddle and barnyard) is a volatile phenol defect caused by Brettanomyces, otherwise known simply as 'Brett'.
Ethyl-4-phenol"

4-ethylphenol is made from 4-vinylphenol, but whether they can be distinguished by smell, as Stevenson suggests, I have no idea.

Richard Gawel's aroma dictionary puts band-aid and horsey odors down to 4-ep.
The wine character described as "Bretty" comes in various forms. It is the combined result of the creation of a number of compounds by the yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis, and its close relative, Dekkera bruxulensis. The three most important known aroma active compounds are 1) 4-ethyl phenol (4-ep), which has been variously described as having the aromas of Band-aids®, antiseptic and horse stable 2) 4-ethyl guaiacol (4-eg) which has a rather pleasant aroma of smoked bacon, spice or cloves and 3) isovaleric acid which has an unpleasant smell of sweaty animals, cheese and rancidity. Other characters associated with Brett include wet dog, creosote, burnt beans, rotting vegetation, plastic and (but not exclusively caused by Brett) mouse cage aroma and vinegar.

In any case the smell is due to a volatile penolic compound from yeast, and depending upon your sensitivity (and appreciation of the odor) can be either a fault or add complexity to a wine (Like the 2002 and 2003 Cayuse Cailloux Syrah we have been drinking over the last couple of nights - very pleasant notes of smoked meats, spice and clove.)

Mike

According to Tom Stevenson's Aromas and Flavors

BAND-AID

4-vinylphenol

Others say that its
Ethyl-4-phenol"

The three most important known aroma active compounds are 1) 4-ethyl phenol (4-ep), which has been variously described as having the aromas of Band-aids®, antiseptic and horse stable

FWIW, the smell of actual Band-Aid™s is meta-cresol, aka 3-methylphenol. I have few doubts that other phenols closely related to meta-cresol would smell similar. I'll defer to Mr. Stevenson's expertise in what is actually produced by Brettanomyces.

Mark Lipton

I have personally noted this in tempranillo, syrah, beaujolais and I hear it's quite common in pinotage. As long as it's not overwhelming, I don't find it a detractor, although I can think of other bretty aromas that I prefer.

As long as it's not overwhelming, I don't find it a detractor, although I can think of other bretty aromas that I prefer.

Agreed. I didn't mind it in the Shiraz-Pinotage blend, but it was quite strong and overwhelming in the Shiraz.

... 2) 4-ethyl guaiacol (4-eg) which has a rather pleasant aroma of smoked bacon, spice or cloves

Interesting discussion. I had the (mistaken?) impression that the smoked meat and bacon smells were a characteristic of Northern Rhone syrah, and now learn that it is 4-ethyl-guaiacol from the yeast Brett.

Also, I always associated clove as a flavor from oak barrels and not from the yeast.

i think that mentioning individual grape varieties misses the point. brett is not more common in any grape variety than any other. (if the common winery practices in a region that features a certain variety are such that brett can get a foothold, then it may seem that brett is characteristic of the variety.) but it can even be found in white wines - though this is extremely rare(i've found it about 4 times at competitions featuring wines from 'emerging' wine regions) - because the sulphur which controls it is usually kept at higher levels in white wines.

How timely. I had this last night. I know it falls in line with Brett ... but I had it in a 94 Cali cab ... not something I have noticed in Cali cab before

The first time I noticed this and to this day the most offensive example of it was in the 1985 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cab. Had 3 bottles all with the same afliction.

... I always associated clove as a flavor from oak barrels and not from the yeast.

You are not completely wrong.

From Stevenson,

CLOVE
Girofle (F) Nelke (G) Garfano (I) Clavo (S)
Often part of the spicy complexity imparted by toasted oak. Eugenol is found in cloves.
Eugenol, 4-vinylguaiacol

From ETS Labs Oak Aroma Analysis,

Eugenol and Isoeugenol - Eugenol is the main aroma compound found in cloves. Present in raw oak, eugenol is reported to increase during open-air wood seasoning. Eugenol and isoeugenol possess a very similar spicy, clove aroma. Release into wine is reported to increase with toasting level.

Guaiacol and 4-Methylguaiacol - Wood lignin degradation at very high temperatures (pyrolysis) results in formation of a wide range of volatile phenols including guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol. These compounds have smoky aromas, and are markers of the smoky character imparted by heavily toasted oak. Guaiacol has a char aroma, while 4-methylguaiacol has both char and spicy characters.

Mike

... 2) 4-ethyl guaiacol (4-eg) which has a rather pleasant aroma of smoked bacon, spice or cloves

Interesting discussion. I had the (mistaken?) impression that the smoked meat and bacon smells were a characteristic of Northern Rhone syrah, and now learn that it is 4-ethyl-guaiacol from the yeast Brett.

Also, I always associated clove as a flavor from oak barrels and not from the yeast.

Funnily, I've always associated smoked meat and bacon from barrels, as well as clove. Love it when I get smoky bacon in pinot noir. Winemakers talk about it and if you've done barrel tastings, you can taste it in a particular Burgundian barrel from a specific cooper (name escapes me now).
Is it possible it could be a derivative of both? Either / Or?

Hey Bruce,

The aroma you refer to is one of my favourite and most reliably found olfactory aspects of South African reds in general. I used to think it was strictly a Pinotage-specific aroma, but later found it in many other SA reds too, and the presence of this fine smoky-coal/cured-meat/"paintbox" mélange always puts a smile on my face. That's not to say that I necessarily want every SA Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz to display it, but when it's there, I am never critical of it.

Overall, what I dislike in SA reds are wines without any rusticity. Some of the cheap, low-end ones lack any character at all - though so far, when I buy SA reds at Vintages, most still have that "smoky leather" thing as I call it (I refer to it less often as "bandaid", but I understand the association).

... 2) 4-ethyl guaiacol (4-eg) which has a rather pleasant aroma of smoked bacon, spice or cloves

Interesting discussion. I had the (mistaken?) impression that the smoked meat and bacon smells were a characteristic of Northern Rhone syrah, and now learn that it is 4-ethyl-guaiacol from the yeast Brett.

Also, I always associated clove as a flavor from oak barrels and not from the yeast.

Funnily, I've always associated smoked meat and bacon from barrels, as well as clove. Love it when I get smoky bacon in pinot noir. Winemakers talk about it and if you've done barrel tastings, you can taste it in a particular Burgundian barrel from a specific cooper (name escapes me now).
Is it possible it could be a derivative of both? Either / Or?

I've found clove in both, and there are some other aromas that come from two sources (eg chocolate from wood, baker's chocolate/cocoa from some Nebbiolos).

I once tasted a mediocre Lodi Syrah that had been re-fermented with different strains of Brett. One of the lots smelled exactly like the old-fashioned Bordeaux I remember from the 70s...