I’ve got this bottle of wine I brought back from Sicily earlier this summer, and I just recently put it in a wine rack. I was told I need to do this because that way you keep the cork wet and keep air out or something like that.
Anyways, I recently noticed that the bottle has been leaking. There is condensed wine on the outside of the cork, and a very small drop of it on the counter.
So, does this mean that my hopes of saving this bottle for a special occasion are ruined? Will it still keep, or do I need to drink it now?
As a wine enthusiast I will give you my opinion until a real expert comes along. The leaking is not a good sign and means air is likely getting into the bottle. This will cause oxidation and eventually ruin the wine. There is a chance that the wine is already spoiled. So if you are going to use it for a special occassion I would have another bottle available as back-up, just in case. If you have a specific occaision coming up I would suggest freezing the bottle until the event. This will prevent future spoiling. The only side effect of this that I am aware of is that you will percipitate some sediment from the bottle. Again I would have another bottle as backup.
open it now. dont freeze it, you’ll just either explode the bottle in the freezer or push the cork out. mikemike2, wherever did you get that idea? ive never heard of it.
Yeah, sounds like I’ve just got to open the thing. See, the real downside of that is that it’s really a desert wine, and pretty powerful; not something you’d really want to drink glasses and glasses of, but I guess I’ll suffer through it. Oh well, now I’ve got to come up with some tasty desert pronto to eat with this thing.
Tattva, since I don’t know how the bottle would stand being shipped, I don’t think I’ll send it out to you… however, you’re more than welcome to come up to VT and split the bottle with me. I don’t have anyone else in particular to share it with, and it’s better than drinking alone… (Billy Joel lyrics running through my head).
More than a few days, and the wine will start to lose aroma. If I were in your shoes, I’d get a vac a vin or nitrogen gas and store the bottle upright in the fridge, letting it warm up for about a half hour before drinking it. I’d also shoot for drinking the bottle within a week or so. Or if it hasn’t spoiled (gotta sample it before going to too much effort), I might dabble in making my own “port” and add a bit of brandy to the bottle. I’ve let ports remain open for a few months and if anything, they just seem to get better and more complex.
(I found some sites that discuss the use of the vacuum pumps and nitrogen gas and how long they should be good for herehere and here if you’d like to take a look for yourself. Most seem to be discussing a half empty bottle of wine though, not one that a possible bad cork has been pulled from.)
I got the idea of freezing wine from a consumer/cooking show I saw once. They had tested various methods of making wine last longer such as vacuum pumps, and replacing the air in the bottle with nitrogen. It was their conclusion that none of these systems could keep a wine in reasonable shape for more than a few days, but freezing wine could make it last for months.
I have tried this several times with half-full bottles with good results. Essvee has a valid point that a full bottle might break or push the cork out.
Port is more durable than other wines, but I have not tried freezing part of one yet. But I would :). I imagine freezing wine would horrify some wine connissuers (spelling?) but I have been happy with the results.
