It’s been a delightful evening with a select group of friends at your home, complete with appetizers, light wine and cocktails, friendly conversations, and a wonderful atmosphere. You feel great. You’re proud of yourself, your wife, your home, and your ability to entertain the special people in your life.
Now, it’s time to ask everyone to move into the dining room for the dinner you two have worked so hard to prepare. The room fills with the aromas of the meal as you pause to announce the special bottle of wine you’ve rescued from the depths of your wine cellar, ready to be enjoyed with dinner. As you remove the foil from around the cap, you notice the cork wrinkling inward, as if being sucked into the bottle.
You think to yourself, “That’s impossible. I’ve treated this bottle with care: stored on its side, at an optimum temperature for the past eight years. This was supposed to be the year it would be at its prime, according to the experts online.” Feeling the anticipation build, you brush aside any concerns, thinking, “It’s fine. No problem. It will be excellent.” But as you insert the corkscrew, you notice the cork starting to crumble and crack. Then, the inevitable “chunk” falls out of the bottle top. You manage to remove the cork and start to decant the bottle through the stainless steel funnel with a strainer you just happen to have on hand.
What Happens When Wine Goes Bad?
That’s when the sour aroma hits you, and you feel the slight tremble of your hands and a bead of sweat running down your brow. This bottle of wine is “Corked”! It smells like your dirty gym socks after a marathon run in August. What do you do now? Decant anyway, and pour yourself a taste into a quality glass. Give it a swirl, a sniff, and then a sip—just don’t barf. Head to the sink, because it’s gone bad. It’s time to tell everyone, and start fresh with a different wine from the cellar.
There are several reasons a wine may “turn” and become undrinkable, some of which are the fault of the winery that bottled it, and sometimes it’s due to how the bottle has been cared for since it left the winery. In the case above, a “corked” bottle means the cork was contaminated before being placed in the neck of the bottle. Organisms grow inside and actually eat at the cork, which is why it broke up when you tried to open it. With red wines, especially those that have aged a while, you’ll quickly realize that something is wrong. That’s why when dining out, as well as in your home, if you’re serving wine properly, you or someone with knowledge should taste the wine before it’s served. Keep in mind that smelling the cork won’t tell you if the wine is bad. A swirl, sniff, and taste—if you even get to the tasting part—will tell you.
A wine can be bad for a few reasons:
Maderized: This happens when the wine has been exposed to excessive heat during storage. It’s often noticeable by the cork appearing slightly pushed out and the wine tasting heavy, like a Madeira.
Re-fermented: This occurs when some residual yeast remains in the wine and “re-ferments” in the bottle. Your fine red wine may pour with a fizz, like sparkling wine.
Oxidized: In this case, the wine has been exposed to oxygen. You won’t smell anything unusual, but you may notice that the color is dull, especially with whites that may appear brownish. The taste is flat, lifeless, and lacks excitement, except for a flavor that may resemble vinegar.
So, what do you do with this bottle of wine? You know you paid quite a bit for it, and now the decision depends on where you purchased it. Special care for fine wines falls to the person who purchases them after they leave the store or winery. If you’ve treated this bottle as if it were your firstborn, then the fault lies with the seller or handler before you bought it.
If you purchased this bottle of wine directly from the winery, you should contact them, either in person with the re-corked bottle of wine or via phone, to explain what happened. In most cases, the winery will offer you another bottle of the same wine, an exchange for a different wine, or a refund. Their reputation is on the line, and no winery wants a bad review.
The same principle applies when dining out. Whether you’ve ordered a fine bottle of wine from the wine list or asked the restaurant sommelier for a recommendation, the process is the same. When the bottle arrives, you’re usually asked to inspect it, including the label. If the label is acceptable, the bottle is opened for you, and the cork is placed in front of you for examination. But the proof is in the pudding, not the bowl—so let’s give it a swirl, sniff, and taste. You immediately realize that the wine is bad. You inform the waiter or wine steward, and they will follow the restaurant’s protocol. They may offer to replace the bottle with another one of the same wine, or allow you to choose a different bottle.
In some cases, the restaurant owner or wine expert will pour a glass and taste it themselves to confirm that the wine is truly tainted. In the few times this has happened to me, I’ve never been questioned. I’ve always been treated with apologies, and the owner and staff have gone out of their way to resolve the situation. As the customer, if you believe the wine is bad, then it is bad.
A note of caution: For those who lack years of experience, it’s essential to know what that particular wine should taste like, within reason. Some wines have unique characteristics that may not be pleasant to everyone but are perfectly fine for those familiar with the wine.
I’ll end by mentioning that the best way to avoid these issues is through a process I don’t often see in the United States, probably due to a greed for the wine. I’m referring to the European wine culture, particularly in the fine restaurants of Italy and France, where the wine steward will decant your wine and pour a generous taste for themselves. It’s their profession and pleasure to ensure that the expensive wine you’ve purchased to accompany your meal is spectacular, without any flaws.
Here in the U.S., if a diner noticed an employee pouring and tasting from their expensive bottle of wine, serious problems could arise.
So, the bottom line is: If you discover that you have a bad bottle of wine, no matter where you purchased it, at least in the U.S., return it, send it back, or call the store. Remember, the customer is always right. If someone tells you otherwise, pick up your smartphone and share your experience on Facebook or Twitter. You’d be surprised how quickly someone from that winery or store contacts you to make things right.
