Bottle Conditions Part 1

Although old wines may be re-corked, it is a total pain in the ass for a whole host of reasons. As a wine ages, even when stored in the best of conditions, the bottle ages along with it. With the exception of the visible markers of ullage (fill-level) and wine color, and because re-corking isn't a common practice (during re-corking the wine may be sampled), it is often the bottle which can give the best idea of how the wine inside is doing. The usual markers which are used are - label condition, cork condition, and capsule condition. For wines which are to be re-sold, it is important for collectors to be aware of these issues and realize that they may adversely effect value and/or re-sale potential. The biggest concern for buyers is always provenance. Issues with bottle condition can bring provenance into question and raise legitimate concerns.

Label Condition - If a label is torn or missing it may be a sign of poor storage or forgery. Here are two examples of torn labels. Both issues are due to the bottles rubbing against the metal racks inside this collector's storage unit. The rubbing likely occurred either when the bottles were originally racked, or when they were moved at some point. This is a significant argument for the use of wooden racks. Torn labels may be more likely to occur with specific bottle shapes and producers - ie. Gigondas', Chateauneuf-du-Papes, Cotes du Rhones, Turley Zins and Syrahs - as the circumference of these bottles may exceed the standard rack size.

The other reason I am not particularly fond of this rack design is that there are no central (vertical) supports. Ideally they would be located in the middle of each row, roughly at 'mid-neck' of the back bottle (these racks are doubled so that two bottles can be be stored in each slot). The problem with this design is that without the vertical supports, the weight of the bottles causes the metal to flex, pushing down on the rows below it. This either makes it more difficult to pull bottles out of the successive rows (they feel "stuck") or bottles are difficult to re-rack because the racks are bowed (the bottles want to fall between the horizontal supports). With metal racks there is also the risk of scratching the bottle itself. 

Tip - When dealing with these larger bottle shapes, label damage is possible even with wooden racks. I find that it helps to rotate the bottle 90 degrees (in mid-air) before removing it from the rack. If the bottle is slightly ovoid, this makes removing it easier because it puts the wider part of the bottle in a vertical orientation. If the bottle is perfectly round, it helps keep the label(s) from touching the rack (assuming the bottle is stored laying down and label-up). Cork Condition - Corks can be a huge problem. No matter what the quality there is a risk of cork taint. By their very nature they are designed to allow a certain amount of oxygen permeation. However, they are also notoriously imperfect. Swelling, shrinking, crumbling, and microbial growth are all problems which can cause a cork to fail. Failure, in this instance, means rendering the wine undrinkable. Below is an example of cork protrusion (aka bulging or push). Generally this occurs when the wine has been exposed to extreme temperature variation. I've also included an example of seepage (slow leakage) which occurred with this same bottle. It may or may not be related to the protrusion (I have seen many bottles which suggest they do not always go hand-in-hand). Interestingly enough though, I do have a theory that seepage is more common among aging wines with a higher sugar content (this bottle happened to be a sweet Beaumes de Venise) I have no scientific research on this, only personal observation, and I can not give a better reason for it beyond that it seems more frequent.

Capsule Condition - Most capsule damage can be avoided simply through proper bottle handling. However, past a certain age, capsule corrosion is inevitable. Tin-lead capsules naturally break down over time and begin to corrode. This is visible as a white "dust" which appears on the surface of the capsule. This is generally fine unless the corrosion has advanced to the point that holes have appeared. Any holes in the capsule increase the likelihood of a bad cork.

Coming up in "Bottle Conditions - Part 2" - Ullage rates and color.