Thirsty Thursday: Know Your Wine Part I
Does your wine taste a little corky??
The primary tenet of Thirsty Thursday’s libation reviews has never been about absolutes or attempts to convince you the reader why you should imbibe in said beverage. Rather the goal has been to present a basic understanding of the unknown…an accurate description of a bottle or can’s mysterious contents, allowing you to determine whether the libation is something that appeals to your palate or in some cases thirst.
However, while conducting “research” a few weeks ago it occurred to me that perhaps I haven’t been sharing everything with you about wine. For although I may write descriptively about a particular vino, there is always a chance that when someone samples said wine, it falls short of resembling anything close to my words. The same can happen when tasting any wine that is recommended by reviewers like Robert Parker or Wine Spectator’s team of winos. Expectations are not met and one is left to wonder whether it’s them or the reviewer that has erred.
The simple truth is the fault might actually lie with the contents of the bottle. What I mean is that there is always a chance the wine in question is “corked.”
Traditionally, the term corked was used to describe wines that had been corrupted by corks tainted with the chemical compound TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole). Corked wines expressed strong or subtle off-putting smells such as mold, must, vinegar, and/or a corkiness rendering a particular bottle undrinkable…that is unless you enjoy tainted fermented grape juice. Over time the term has become synonymous with all wines that are spoiled or slightly off do to contamination or mishandling. Regardless of whether the wine bottle is sealed with a natural or synthetic cork or even a screwcap, all bottled wines have the potential of being corked.
The actual number of corked wine bottles on the market is a debated subject, but based on my experience working in the industry and those of my friends, up to 12% of wines sold are corked. Plus or minus 1 out of every 10 bottles represents a fairly substantial number, especially if you’re purchasing wine on a regular basis.
Yet the majority of wine consumers are only able to identify around 2-6% of wines tasted as being off. Meaning at least half of the time people don’t realize they’re drinking a corked wine and instead believe a review misled them, the wine stinks, and/or “that was the worst 20 bucks I’ve spent on an enticingly labeled wine.”
If you’ve never tasted or have trouble identifying a corked bottle of wine don’t feel bad. Even seasoned industry people and serious winos can find it tricky to identify a wine as corked or irregular, and often the main reason they can is because of their familiarity with a particular varietal, style, vintage, etc.
The point I’m trying to make is 1) be aware that corkage does happen, 2) just because signs of corkage aren’t overtly present doesn’t necessarily mean a wine isn’t spoiled, and 3) know your rights in dealing with corked bottles.
Whether it’s a $10 or $100 bottle…if the wine fails to live up to expectations, seems amiss from descriptions you’ve read, or actually displays signs of corkage realize that you can remedy the situation.
If the bottle was purchased from a retailer or winery, simply return the bottle (corked wine and all) for an exchange or full refund.* Retailers shouldn’t take the hit, as the cost of the corked bottle is transfer back to the distributor and then the winery.
If you’re at a restaurant have no fear in declining any bottle or glass of wine served because of corkage and have the confidence to ask for a replacement or alternative. Remember the reason establishments offer you samples from a bottle of wine before filling your glass is they’re asking you to confirm whether or not the wine is acceptable.
So don’t fear corkage…just keep on sampling, exchanging (if necessary), imbibing, and enjoying the wonders of fermented grape juice.
- Have you ever encountered a corked bottle of wine?
- Do you return or decline wine that you suspect is corked?
*Though I can’t speak for all retailers, those in America should accept the return of corked wine bottles. Some may initially balk, but be persistent and make sure your receive an exchange or your refund.
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How interesting, Jed, when our friends Paul and T were here from Illinois we went out for dinner to a lovely restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine. Upon corking the wine, the waiter immediately noticed a textural difference in the cork and excused himself from our table to do a proper taste test. When he returned he expressed that the wine was corked and he was even kind enough to bring a glass of it back to the table so that we can sniff it ourselves. Quite enlightening; and it was pretty obvious that it had gone bad. Having said that, I may not have known it was corked, I may have thought it was just a crappy tasting wine. So now we know what to look for, and I thank you for putting it into words. We have taken a bottle or two back to the LCBO over the years and the sommelier has indeed confirmed our assumption for the most part — there may have been a bottle that was just crappy and not to our taste at all.
Hope you have a great weekend.
It really is kinda cool when you experience your first cooked bottle. Whenever I encounter one while conducting wine tastings I’d make sure that everyone had a chance to smell the wine and compare it to a good bottle. So illuminating and important for wine drinkers.
Great post! I have encountered corked wine, both in restaurants and from a retailer. I am a self-proclaimed wino and was fortunate enough to take a trip to the ‘mother land’ of Napa Valley a few years ago. It was without a doubt the most enlightening trip my husband and I have taken in quite a while. The B&B we stayed at hosted evening tastings and had a set of the different scents/flavors that are in wines. (I can’t remember the term for it). We sat each night sniffing the little vials trying to pick out what we could smell & taste in the different wines.
I host wine parties several times a year. One party, guests brought a lovely bottle of Georges DeBoeuf (sp?) Beaujolais, which I’d had previously and enjoyed quite alot. This bottle however, was certainly corked. My friend poured her wine and was drinking it and simply thought it was her, not the wine. I sampled it and assured her it was indeed the wine and not her taste buds that were off. I had to return a bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir it was so badly corked, it smelled & tasted of vinegar. The store manager was as surprised as I was, but quickly replaced it.
But I do agree, if people do not know what to look for, they’ll be unhappy and not inclined to try it again. Sommelier would be my dream job.
Thanks Cheryl and great to hear from you. Working in the wine industry and/or as a sommelier can be a great deal of fun. Often one is sampling wines from the morning hours til the end of the day…all the while continuing to work.
Personally, I never complained when did wine events, but there a few times when I got “wined” out and just wanted a beer at the end of the day.
Cheers!
Definitely a great post.
I think I’ve only returned one bottle of wine in my life. That would have made for an interesting poll question, man.
How many restaurant diners have actually sent back bottles of wine?
Thanks Chris and you’re right that I should have done a poll. I’d venture to guess it’s a low number if only for the trepidation one might feel about being incorrect in their assessment.
I’ve only returned one bottle of wine at a restaurant for bing corked. Seeing that as many as 12% are corked, I’ve drunk quite a bit of bad wine. This is a helpful post, at least for me. Thanks, Jed. Oh! That corked bottle? The waiter came back and whispered that the wine was sampled “in the back” and it was definitely corked. Not only did he make us all feel better but he made a few extra dollars in his tip.
Perhaps you’ve just chosen wisely and had nowhere near the number 12%.
Still trying to figure out how to get the corks out of the darn bottles…
Pulling a cork out is over rated. Just lop the top of the bottle off with a saber and drink.
In New Zealand I barely see wines sold with cork, its more of a screw top here nowadays but there are still some using them. We went to one of the wineries here and had a tour and I asked the question why corks are not used anymore, they said it was the price, cork is really expensive for them.
Yup, with the current price of cork screw tops are here to stay and it’s interesting to see the growing number of French wines that use them as well. Cheers!
A really informative and interesting post, Jed. I’ve tasted a bottle of wine that someone told me was “corked” and I didn’t know if it was just bad, too old, or what. It was at someone’s home, so I just went with their judgement. That’s a rather alarming number at 12% and makes me wonder just how much corked wine has come my way!
This is so interesting! I have heard of “corked” wines but really did not know what it meant. Thanks for this great, informative post. I will be aware now to subtleties I had not noticed before. I have smelled the “corkiness” of course upon opening or drinking various wines in the past, but really had no idea what it was.