RCCOLA
Well-Known Member
I used to drink wine exclusively before I started brewing beer,and in several years of wine drinking I only got a couple of bottles that were tainted.That smell and flavor is unmistakeable and almost ruined me for my favorite cheap but good and well rated wine(Columbia Crest Shiraz)
So me and SWMBO were out of town in Joplin,MO and stopped in a store that also has one at the state line.It's a great store with a ton of good beer and wine and they usually have a tasting.This day they were tasting down in their cellar(where the expensive stuff is)and had 4 bottles of Zin from the same vineyard-all differently aged.I tried the oldest first and it was good if zin is your thing.The youngest bottle was 1/2 gone and one guy was tasting it and saying how good it was.I asked for a pour and when I smelled it-OMFG total cork taint-BAD!They had served 1/2 bottle to people w/o ever smelling it.I pointed it out to the server who poured some in a glass and took a whiff and immediately put the bottle behind the bar and opened another.
Later we were eating at our favorite italian resturant and were asked if we wanted a glass of wine,so I asked the server if he was familiar w/ what he served and related my earlier tasting/cork taint story.He replied "If we get any cork in the bottle we throw it out."So I asked if he knew what cork taint was--No idea!Are the majority of wine drinkers oblivious?I wonder what the first 10 or so people thought of that cork tainted bottle.Anyone had a similar experience?
So me and SWMBO were out of town in Joplin,MO and stopped in a store that also has one at the state line.It's a great store with a ton of good beer and wine and they usually have a tasting.This day they were tasting down in their cellar(where the expensive stuff is)and had 4 bottles of Zin from the same vineyard-all differently aged.I tried the oldest first and it was good if zin is your thing.The youngest bottle was 1/2 gone and one guy was tasting it and saying how good it was.I asked for a pour and when I smelled it-OMFG total cork taint-BAD!They had served 1/2 bottle to people w/o ever smelling it.I pointed it out to the server who poured some in a glass and took a whiff and immediately put the bottle behind the bar and opened another.
Later we were eating at our favorite italian resturant and were asked if we wanted a glass of wine,so I asked the server if he was familiar w/ what he served and related my earlier tasting/cork taint story.He replied "If we get any cork in the bottle we throw it out."So I asked if he knew what cork taint was--No idea!Are the majority of wine drinkers oblivious?I wonder what the first 10 or so people thought of that cork tainted bottle.Anyone had a similar experience?