How to distinguish an original wine from a fake: a few of my ways

I'm not a big fan of wines, but on holidays I enjoy a few sips of this life-giving drink. It has long been known that high-quality dry wine, if consumed in moderation, can be called the most useful drink to be drunk for health. But today you can run into a fake, even in the most expensive supermarkets.

There have been a lot of scammers in recent years, because wineries are now in private hands. Of course, we are not talking about large producers of dry wines, who value their reputation, but about underground factories where a surrogate is being driven.

It is precisely on them that various food additives, flavors, thickeners and other crap are used, because of which wines become not only "inedible", but also hazardous to health. In order not to harm myself and my loved ones, I decided to find out how to determine the quality of dry wine.

Wine Authentication Methods

I started looking for information, I had to reread a lot of articles until I had enough (for a layman) information. I learned that there are two ways to recognize a counterfeit: in a store or at home. I really want this information to help many buyers.

What to see in the store

Before you buy wine, you need to study the label and the information on it.

It is worth paying attention to the date of manufacture. The label itself, or rather, the way it is glued, can give out a fake. In the factory, it is glued with automatic machines, so the strokes will be even, neat. If the label was glued by hand, then stains will appear. Each bottle must have an excise stamp.

The bottle itself is no less important. Quality wine will not be poured from too dark or opaque containers. But criminals often resort to such tricks so that no sediment is visible in the surrogate wine. Unscrupulous producers often hide the low quality of dry wine by pouring it into elaborate bottles. Many buyers fall for this trick.

To check for sediment, turn the bottle upside down and look at the contents in the light. If the wine is natural, then it will be clear and not too thick.

There is another option for checking using gadgets. You need to scan the excise stamp on your smartphone and check its authenticity. If the brand is not fake, then information will come not only about the wine itself, its producer, but even about the store in which this wine is sold.

Checking dry wine at home

If nothing alarmed the customer in the store, you can continue checking at home:

1. A good dry wine is corked only with a cork plug, never with a plastic cork. After taking it out, it is worth sniffing. If the cork is crumbled, you smell of mold, then the wine is of poor quality.
2. Pour some wine into a glass and take a sip. The smell of alcohol, vinegar or excess acid is a fake signal.
3. Now you need to pour some baking soda into the glass. The natural product will change color, become violet-blue due to the presence of grape starch. Nothing will happen to the surrogate.

I also read about checking the quality of dry wine using glycerin and juniper berries, but I never have these products. As for other tips, I've tried them all. Indeed, they do.

How do you understand that this is a bottle of quality dry wine?