The Uncorking Ritual

[hotwine]

You're probably smelling what's normally referred to as "barnyard", which is normal, especially with French and Spanish wines, and usually dissipates with aeration. On the other hand, cork taint from TCA has a rotten smell, IMO, and aeration doesn't help that condition at all.

BTW, when I said I look for mold penetration of the cork, that's more than superficial mold. In fact, I LIKE to see mold on the top of the cork, directly under the foil capsule.... but not down the sides of the cork... that represents penetration, and can be damaging to the wine.