Effect of wine style on the perception of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, a compound related to cork taint in wine

2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA) is a fungal metabolite that can contaminate cork stoppers and wines producing a very unpleasant mouldy odour (cork taint). Sensory control is very widely used for the detection of possible TCA presence in corks and wine, but the correct identification of TCA, especially at low concentrations, can be difficult. The aim of this study was to show how wine styles can affect the ability of the same panel to perceive TCA. For this purpose, a panel was selected, according to the panelists' sensitivity to the TCA stimulus. The triangle test, a sensory difference test, was carried out by the panel with both white and red wines, using samples both free from TCA and spiked with known quantities of this contaminant. The results showed that the panelists identified the difference caused by the added TCA at different significance levels, depending on the wine style, so TCA detection was influenced by wine style for the selected panel.