Cork taint is a broad term referring to a
wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of
wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling,
aging and opening. Though modern studies have shown that other factors can also be responsible for taint – including wooden barrels,
storage conditions and the transport of corks and wine – the
cork stopper is normally considered to be responsible, and a wine found to be tainted on opening is said to be "corked" or "corky". Cork taint can affect wines irrespective of price and quality level.