Q: Is it safe to drink wine tainted by brettanomyces?—Betsy, Nokona, Texas
A: Wine can be tainted in a number of ways, including by the yeast brettanomyces (often called just “brett” for short). The most infamous wine flaw is corkiness, which mutes a wine’s desirable aromas and makes it smell unpleasant and musty. Most corked wines are thought to be tainted with a molecule called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA, though other compounds may be involved. Corked wine isn’t very pleasurable to drink, but it doesn’t present any health hazards since the concentration of TCA is so low.
What Is Brett?
What about wines flawed in other ways? Brettanomyces is a common yeast that can be present in many beverages, including wine. Brett can produce a wide (and wild!) array of flavors and aromas, ranging from a characteristic barnyardy, horsey funk to metallic notes to wet Band-Aid. In some wine regions and for some wine lovers, a touch of brett can add desirable, refined notes of leather, spice and more to a wine. But a little goes a long way, and many winemakers go to great lengths to avoid any trace of brett in their cellars.
But Is Brett Harmful to Drink?
Whether you prefer your Côte-Rôtie with a kiss of brett or find yourself with a badly flawed bottle, experts say there’s no reason to worry about any negative health effects of drinking wine contaminated with brettanomyces. Dr. David Jeffery, a professor of wine science at the University of Adelaide, told Wine Spectator that “brett compounds can be found in higher amounts in some ciders and beers (defective or not)” than in wine. Indeed, many classic styles of beer (particularly Belgian and farmhouse ales) depend on brett for their signature aromas and flavors, and they’re perfectly safe to consume (in moderation, of course).
Why Isn’t Brett Dangerous for People?
Dr. Gavin Sacks, a food science professor at Cornell University, points out that “food scientists distinguish between pathogenic microorganisms that cause food safety issues [and] other microorganisms that cause food spoilage issues.” Brettanomyces, which is typically referred to as a spoilage yeast, may ‘spoil’ the desired aromas and flavors of a wine, but it won’t make the wine unsafe.
Like many organic compounds, the principal aromatic molecules produced by brett (4-ethylphenol, 4-ethylguaiacol and others) can present dangers to human health in very high amounts, but they are present in wine at extremely low concentrations—well below the threshold of toxicity. Moreover, notes Dr. Sacks, brettanomyces “will not grow uncontrollably in the gastrointestinal tract,” unlike the pathogenic microorganisms that can contaminate food and water and cause serious health problems. Thankfully for enophiles, those big bad bugs can’t survive in wine’s highly alcoholic environment.
What About Other Wine Flaws?
Are there any flaws that could make a bottle of wine unsafe to drink? Stay tuned for our next Health Q&A to find out!
And as always, consult your healthcare professional about incorporating wine into a healthy lifestyle.—Kenny Martin
