methoxy-dimethylpyrazine, more properly 2-methoxy-3, 5-dimethylpyrazine, or MDMP, exists in cork and becomes a taint in wine at concentrations above the perception threshold of approximately 2–4 ng/l in red and white wines. This compound is identified by aromas of fresh cork, woody, and dusty smells.
An australian wine research institute study in 2004 isolated this compound and confirmed that it is responsible for a taint described in Australia as ‘fungal must’. It has been suggested that this may prove to be second only to tca as a cause of cork taint in Australian wine.
