Do bubbles mean the wine is spoiled?

[Thomas]

Petillance is a polite way for Europeans to identify a mostly benign problem that sometimes afflicts their winemaking practices. Unless a wine is produced to be a sparkling wine, or to be a medium-sparkling wine, such as some Prosecci or chasellas from Switzerland and/or Germany, a slight spritz indicates, if not secondary fermentation, than secondary winemaking skills or direction.

A still wine should be still. And I particularly abhor a red wine with spritz unless it is intended, as in lambrusco, to be spritzy.

All of the above is a combination of personal opinion mixed with what I have learned wine is and should be, and I know someone out there is going to pipe up with a response to the contrary.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 11-13-2003).]