Just Damn

[toddabod]

When I went over to Germany, I brought back 8 bottles of wine with me. 2/8 are corked. One was a 9 dollar auslese from Cochem, and the other was a Lauerburg Bernkastel Doctor Spaetlase. I have one more Bernkastel Doctor that I need to check to see if it is corked as well. I wonder if it is worth it to bring over wines on the plane? Does that effect the wine? I would appreciate any insight. Thanks.

[Innkeeper]

If your dog and cat can survive in the luggage compartment, your wine should too. It was probably corked from the getgo. Since you do a lot of corked detecting, you must be blessed or cursed with a fine tuned taster. Since I rarely detect it, my situation must be just the opposite. Bring on the screwtops (without the shrinkwrapped capsules).

[hotwine]

That does seem like a high percentage to be corked. I assume you carried them on board as carry-on luggage, rather than checking them, since aircraft baggage holds are not pressurized. I've not had any problems with wines being corked when treated as carry-on.

[toddabod]

they were in the cabin of the plane. My bottles of wine did sit in a room where the air conditioning unit bit the dust and it must have been in the high 80's in that room. That might have done it, but how depressing. I am going to go ahead and drink the last bottle.

[This message has been edited by toddabod (edited 10-09-2002).]

[Thomas]

Guys, guys, guys--corked bottles have NOTHING to do with the condition of the wine during travel, at least not at last count.

A tainted cork gets that way between portugal (where the cork is sanitized) and the bottle (where the cork is inserted).

Toddabod please describe what you consider a "corked" wine smells and tastes like.

[toddabod]

I opened the box where the Bernkastel Doctor was and the paper that wrapped the bottle was wet at the end. I could have cried. When I opened the wine, it smelled like piss. The cork was soaked and the fruit had left the Doctor. That was a good bottle of Reisling too. I dumped it down the drain and was sadened by the glug, glug, glug going down the drain. The other bottle that was corked, was wet on the top of the cork, so I knew seepage had taken place and that smelled of piss as well. I guess I am not going to get my money back or exchange the bottle from the merchant in Bernkastel-Kues. Oh well, I am going to drink the other Bernkastel Doctor tonight. THis is a better one anyway. I hope it isn't corked as well.

[This message has been edited by toddabod (edited 10-09-2002).]

[Thomas]

What you describe is not "corked" wine. It is wine that oxidized and went bad because the cork leaked.

That is simply a cork that either set badly at bottling or in storage dried out and contracted.

The problem of corked wine is a specific bacteria that attacks the cork (and then the wine). It does not cause a cork to leak.

[Innkeeper]

Sounds to me like the wine was cooked, not corked. That could cause cork to leak.

[hotwine]

Sorry 'bout that, Foodie. I tend to over-simplify and lump 'em all under the word "spoiled", whether from TCA or leakage.

[toddabod]

The sound of them going down the drain sounds the same as well.

[hotwine]

Yup.
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[Thomas]

...to be sure, but one of the problems is fixable by using screwcaps--actually, both problems might have the same fix.