Beware of Fine Wine and Warm Weather

Here comes the warm weather. That means it's time to be on the lookout for "cooked wine". If you get a wine that's missing the aromas and flavors of fresh fruit, and instead get a stewed prune profile, chances are the wine has been overheated somehow. It's easily done in hot weather. The suppliers who deliver to us all have air conditioned vehicles, but air conditioning always seems to break down when you need it most - it's a law of nature. 
UPS and FedEx do not have air conditioned trucks. Beware if you get a wine delivered on some late summer afternoon from one of these major carriers.  Even if wine is transported properly, it may end up on an open air dock - to sit for an extended length of time. I've witnessed this personally at a "big box" store that will go unnamed.

A couple of times, I've had customers return cooked wine after they probably left the bottle in their car for hours. Of course we exchange the wine for another bottle.

So, be careful with your wine in extreme heat - even moderate heat. The inside of your car can heat up really fast in the sun, even if the temperature is only in the low 80's.  Make sure your wine is in the air conditioning with you and not in the trunk. And don't leave it in the car to go to an afternoon movie. That's worse than the trunk!

Always beware of the following: Obviously, if a bottle is warm to the touch, stay away. Don't buy a wine that is leaking from the cork, and stay away from wines where the cork is raised from the mouth of the bottle - even a little. The cork should be flush with, or a little below the mouth of the bottle. 

Finally, although this is not as sure a sign as the others, check to see that the foil on the neck of the bottle turns. If you can't move it at all, it may mean the wine has leaked and dried to a glue like goo under the foil.

Have a great weekend!

Tom

Help Balaban's Make the "A List" - Click Here to Vote