(WSJ) - I ONCE HAD a rather strange experience with a screw cap. It was the depths of winter, and I was in the mood for a glass of full-bodied Australian red. After twisting off the cap, a small plastic disk remained on top of the bottle. As I moved to pick it off, pop! Off the disk flew and wine sprayed everywhere.

I’m still not quite sure what happened. Possibly, some carbon dioxide was trapped inside during bottling, creating a buildup in pressure. Or a combination of excess sugar and a high storage temperature may have caused the wine to re-ferment. I suspect it was the latter, as the wine was fizzy and I ended up pouring it down the sink.

This explosive encounter reminded me that wine can be prey to all sorts of unexpected faults, from cork taint to small crystals at the bottom of the bottle. Some are easy to detect, clearly affecting the taste, but others are less obvious.

The most common fault is corked wine. Thankfully, with its dank, wet-cardboard smell, corked wine is also one of the easiest faults to spot. Caused by chemical compound 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole, transferred from the cork, the taint can vary in intensity from a faint whiff to a full-on moldy stench. If you're in any doubt about a bottle you’ve ordered at a restaurant, check with your sommelier, who should be happy to replace the bottle.

A wine can also smell like rubber, a struck match or even rotten eggs. This is known as reduction and is caused by sulfur compounds used as preservatives. In less extreme cases, the smell will dissipate.