what black currant taste like

[Kcwhippet]

Actually, all of these can be described as faults in the winemaking process, though to some degree they can also be considered desireable when not overdone.
Black currant is a desireable aroma and taste in some wines when caused by ethyl acetate, but when caused by a mercaptan, it can evolve into a garlic like quality.
Ethyl acetate, as mentioned, can give the wine a black currant, or an apple, aroma, but it can also lead to the volatile acidity of vinegar.
Horsey is generally caused by Brettanomyces, and strictly speaking, it's a fault but a little bit gives the wine a desireable character.
Flinty is generally a nice quality, and it's usually caused by early harvesting when there's a greater abundance of pyrazines in the grapes, which dissipate as the grapes reach greater maturity. Pyrazines are aromatic compounds that also give white wines their herbaceous, grassy characteristics.

After all the years of research, all tastes and aromas in wine, both good and bad, can be described in terms of one or more chemical compounds, and how they affect the wine and your senses.

[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 02-01-2005).]