Aside from discovering hair in food, there is perhaps no greater disappointment in a fine dining experience than ordering an expensive bottle of wine, only to find it tastes funny.
But don’t worry. Corked wine is a natural but annoying phenomenon. And since about 1% to 7% of bottles are corked, chances are you’ll come across one at some point in your life.
What is corked wine?
“A corked wine is caused by a compound called trichloroanisole, or TCA, which contaminates the cork, bottle or wine during harvest, production or even shipping,” said Vinnie Miliano, bar manager for the Waldorf Astoria Chicago.
TCA often exists as fungus on corks, but it can also appear in pesticides, preservatives, and cleaning products found in wineries. Drums and cartons can also be sources of “contamination”, even if high quality control standards are rigorously enforced.
“A corked wine isn’t harmful to consume, but it’s certainly not enjoyable to drink and will definitely detract from the experience,” Miliano added.
Despite the temporary inconvenience and interruption of dinner service, it’s okay to send something that doesn’t taste up to par. After all, if you’re spending hard-earned money to treat yourself and a loved one, you don’t want the evening to go, well, sour.
We asked Miliano, as well as Courtney Cheney, beverage operations manager for Ocean Prime, to explain how to tell if a wine is closed and the proper protocol for flagging the problem with a sommelier or server. (For more wine tips, read a sommelier’s top tips for finding bottles on a budget and see how to properly store any type of open wine.)
How to tell if a wine is closed
Corked wine can smell musty like wet cardboard or a damp basement.
There are usually two immediate indicators of whether a wine is dry: aroma and taste. “A corked wine will usually smell like damp cardboard, musty, or like a damp basement,” Miliano said. “If you taste it, you’ll notice that the flavor can be muted or unpleasant, without the expected fruit and texture.”
Cheney echoes these precise descriptions, adding that a corked wine will also taste “flat with a particular astringency in heavy cases that also lack fruit.”
And while one might believe that some tannin-heavy varietals are more cork-prone than others, TCA doesn’t discriminate. “However, it is easier to spot cork stains in unaged wines, due to the stronger aromas that accompany oak aging,” Cheney said. “It is [also] it is more likely to occur in traditional cork wines.”
Read more: We asked a Wine Pro if light red wine lasts longer in the fridge
How to send corked wine back
If you come across a corked bottle, a trained wine professional or bar manager will likely remedy the unfortunate circumstance. “The best approach is the simplest,” Miliano said. “Politely inform your server or sommelier. No offense will be taken and most hospitality professionals are trained to handle the situation gracefully.”
This may include tasting the wine itself before replacing the bottle or glass. If you’re not quite sure, you can also rely on their expert tastings for a definitive explanation and/or confirmation.
“I used to have a whole case of wonderful Rioja completely sealed,” said Miliano, who also says there’s no need to “feel embarrassed or angry” at this point. Quality verification is simply part of the process and an important step in determining if additional inventory is affected.
“You can also check the cork, which should be presented to you after your server opens the bottle,” Cheney added. “If it smells musty and musty, it’s likely corked.” Of course, if there is any kind of pushback, escalate it to the restaurant managers or owners after your meal. This can be done by email to avoid confrontation.
Read more: 7 surprising recipes to which you can add wine
Nothing for summer
Any restaurant worth its salt will replace a corked bottle with a good one free of charge.
Cheney summed up the wine cork concept best: “Cork stain is a natural defect in wines, so most restaurants will replace the bottle without further question or charge.”
While an offending sip can be unlucky, remember that it’s probably the worst thing that will happen to you that day. Accept it, say something about it and move on. It’s nobody’s fault (not even the winemaker’s) and you more than deserve a stress-free, delicious meal that’s worth every dollar you spend.
