Food & Wine

I am sure this is a subject that has been discussed many times. But recently I had two bottles form the same case, stored the same way, one corked the other not. This got me thinking it was time to share the pleasure. First we all know corked wine is a fa...  

That way you are safe. I've found it's a dangerous habit though, especially dinners at home. If we are opening old bottles, from our cellars or from friends, we always have a "reserve bottle" standing by in case of corkage or other problems. The fact is t...  

One always needs back up bottles Always.

It was at a restaurant. Unfortunately, it was our second bottle (for two) and it was only after some healthy swigs that we realized a problem. I didn't send it back as I felt bad about how much was missing from the bottle! Having said all that, I am fine ... 

I am sure to confirm my suspicions with others at the table. At home if there are no guests I usually set it aside and hope that the next day it will improve but mostly it does not. The new technologies plastic and screw to top seem to perform well. I jus... 

Contamination can take place at the cleaning process as you mentioned. The tree bark harvested needs to be seasoned and if the cleaning is not done properly, TCA will lead to cork taint. But bottles if not sanitized properly before bottling can also lead ... 

The competition is there with lesser wines trying to get corks to make their wine appear of a higher quality. The big guys are competing for those same corks. I have a feeling that the cork resources are not endless. But I think screw caps are becoming mo... 

that these situations happen all too often,albeit less now with the vineyards who are more selective in their cork , the prevalence of cork tainted wine used to be about 10% ,marring great enjoyment of a choice ,the situation has improved since the last f... 

I take every"corked" occasion to let my guest smell the cork and taste the wine to commit the taste to memory. Once you are familiar with it it is much easier to judge. It really is black and white. The question is whether or not to tolerate the wine but ... 

And as you said DO NOT conclude anything on the smell only!!! I have made, many moons...eh bottles.. ago, the mistake of emptying a bottle in the sink because of the very clear cork smell. The taste was a little bit off too (I thought) but the mind can fo... 

But in a restaurant that is a different time constraint. HAGWE Bill

Very useful advise

For mature wines I find approximately 1 out of 20 are corked. Would be interested in your experience. I think I have a fairly low tolerance, but when at a restaurant always confirm with the sommelier. I've had higher percentages, but usually from shipment... 

As far as the variation in taste within a case it is always possible along the way an individual bottle could be affected differently by temperature, moist, vibrations etc that could affect the chemical balance of individual bottles.

I spoke with some wine industry professionals and they state a substantial percentage of wine is lost due to bad corks or corks that rot. Some estimate that as many as 4-5% (that's a huge percentage, one out of every 20-25 bottles) of all corks produced a...