A possible remedy for cork taint?

Very interesting. I can't recall any instance where I have kept an obviously corked bottle around opened for more than an hour or so. Depending on the circumstances, I'll either pour it down the drain or recork it and return it to where I bought it. But based on my own experiences and those reported by others I've gotten to where I'll believe just about anything about corked wine. Next time I open a bottle of corked wine I'll give your "remedy" a try.

Vino

Mark, is this the first time you've kept a corked bottle around for hours/days? If not, does this match your previous experience. I ask because my experience is that the longer a corked bottle is open, the more rank it becomes - examples that are found by only the sensitive become so obviously corked with air time that nobody can miss it. This bottle did the opposite of what I've observed.

- Mark W.

Spot on, Mark. I was getting too long-winded in my original post, or I would've added that tidbit. Without question, a corked wine gets "corkier" for at least 3-4 hours after opening. Many's the time that I've proclaimed a wine corked shortly after opening, only to be dismissed by other less sensitive types who later must eat their words when the TCA is apparent from 2' above the rim of the bottle. So, it's possible that some secondary event leads to the diminution of the TCA after a certain period of time, but it's gotta be long after the 3-4 hours I've previously tried...

Mark Lipton

Bacchanalia for

Rosenblum Rockpile

cellar only to

smelled the bottle

bottle sitting in

of scientific

nearly full

TCA! What's

with all the

to be present

Keeping in

that the TCA

or oxidized to

"remedy" would hardly

wines but could

either

bottle would have

kept an

hour or so.

the drain or

my own

where I'll

open a

I run introductory wine courses at a restaurant/wine bar - they keep rejected cork-tainted bottles for me to show students. We've looked at many corked bottles over the years, many of them kept for a week or longer. None show diminished cork taint tho' some also show oxidation after a while. Corked and oxidised - a nasty combination. Cheers! Martin

I have experienced the same phenomenon and felt that I either jumped to conclusions upon opening the wine or that the TCA just "blew off". It would be interesting to know if there is an explanation. Bi!!

Is it possible that what is confused with taint is just funkyness on flavor profile?

Dunno about others, Dick, but personally I find the smell of cork taint rather unmistakable. When a wine's very lightly corked I often question whether or not what I'm smelling is cork taint, but any truly corked wine is instantly recognizable as such to me.

Mark Lipton

hours after

when the TCA

it's gotta be

Katie's kept corked bottles around for my educational purposes for days and I've never seen one get better - there must have been something special about your bottle.

- Mark W.

One more data point. I ran into this on New Year's Eve. A bottle of '96 Allegrini Amarone that was mildly corked.

Shortly after opening, the taint showed up on the front end. It really wasn't apparent on the nose and the wine exploded in your mouth and covered the taint, so it didn't completely ruin the wine like it does with a bottle that is severly tainted. Usually I find TCA tainted wine completely undrinkable and can even ruin wines for the rest of the night. Kind of like a ghost of the bad bottle that haunts me for the evening. The taint did increase slightly over the next couple of hours.

The next day ( about 17 hours since opening the bottle) I poured a glass of the remaining wine that sat on the counter over night and the taint was completely gone. No signs of oxidation and it was very tasty.

Andy