"Steve Slatcher" > wrote in message
...
> The reason for leaving the cork at the table is rather to demonstrate
> that the cork is correct - branded by the bottler/winemaker. It
> offers some support to the fact that the wine has not been tampered
> with.

That's probably one good reason for offering the cork to the patron at the
table, but I've heard another. A friend once explained to me that one is
supposed to _squeeze_ the cork and observe if droplets of wine emerge from
the wine-side end. That indicates that the bottle has been stored
correctly - at least as far as keeping the cork wet is concerned.

More recently, I happened to sniff the cork that I had just withdrawn from a
bottle of my _own_ wine (IOW, not store bought; a bottle of Pinot Noir I'd
made and bottled myself). The cork had a distinctly funky smell - not
vinous. Tasting the wine confirmed my suspicion. The wine was corked. It
both tasted and smelled "off".

Bottom line: There seems to be some usefulness to sniffing the cork, but
you need to know what you're looking for.

Tom S