Ethyl acetate
Nail polish remover, pear drops, model glue.
What causes it
The ester that forms alongside acetic acid, so it usually arrives with volatile acidity but can appear on its own from a stressed ferment.
Detection threshold
Around 150 to 200 mg/L, well below the point where the acetic acid itself is obvious.
There is no fix
Nothing practical. It is often the early warning that VA is coming, which is worth acting on for the rest of the batch.
How to prevent it
The same as volatile acidity: no air, no fruit flies, no warm stalled ferment.
Others in chemical and taint
Cork taint
Wet cardboard, damp basement. At low levels it does not smell of anything: it just strips the fruit out of the wine.
Excess sulphur dioxide
A sharp prickle at the back of the nose, like a struck match, and a stinging sensation rather than an aroma.
Smoke taint
Ashtray, burnt rubber, and a long drying finish that arrives after swallowing rather than on the nose.
Metallic taint
Blood, tin, a hard metallic finish, and often a haze that appears weeks later.