We just returned from Europe. Whenever the server opened the bottle of wine,
he/she sniffed the cork as soon as it was pulled out.

Last night at a restaurant in Baltimore we got discussing this. The waiter did
not sniff the cork but just laid it on the table. The discussion led to the
waiter and others at my table saying that it was up to the customer to sniff
the cork.

I'm curious as to whether the "custom" is different in the USA than in Europe.
Or was our waiter last night just misinformed. To me it makes sense that the
server would sniff the cork to be sure that he doesn't even pour a wine for
tasting that has gone bad.

Admittedly, it's probably not important since the chance of me getting a bad
bottle of the sort of wine I generally drink is almost zero. Still, I'm
questioning which "custom" is right.

Many years ago, I friend of mine and I had gone to a major Steak House. I
ordered a wine and the sommelier opened the bottle and laid the cork for me
to sniff and then proceeded to pour a small amount into the glass to taste.

I smelled the cork and it only showed a slightly off smell that only hinted
at the vinegar inside. When I tasted it I instantly apologized to the
expert and said the wine had gone bad. He looked at me funny then tasted it
himself, we were only about 20 at that time and for a couple of kids to spot
a bad wine in a major restaurant was pretty cool. He instantly apologized
to me (us) and brought us a notable much better wine and said he was only
charging us the price of the wine we had originally ordered. Classy place,
done with a high amount of class on our part and was rewarded big time.

Not4wood


"Steltzjr" > wrote in message
...
> We just returned from Europe. Whenever the server opened the bottle of
wine,
> he/she sniffed the cork as soon as it was pulled out.
>
> Last night at a restaurant in Baltimore we got discussing this. The waiter
did
> not sniff the cork but just laid it on the table. The discussion led to
the
> waiter and others at my table saying that it was up to the customer to
sniff
> the cork.
>
> I'm curious as to whether the "custom" is different in the USA than in
Europe.
> Or was our waiter last night just misinformed. To me it makes sense that
the
> server would sniff the cork to be sure that he doesn't even pour a wine
for
> tasting that has gone bad.
>
> Admittedly, it's probably not important since the chance of me getting a
bad
> bottle of the sort of wine I generally drink is almost zero. Still, I'm
> questioning which "custom" is right.
>

On 08 Nov 2003 15:59:04 GMT, (Steltzjr) wrote:

>We just returned from Europe. Whenever the server opened the bottle of wine,
>he/she sniffed the cork as soon as it was pulled out.
>
>Last night at a restaurant in Baltimore we got discussing this. The waiter did
>not sniff the cork but just laid it on the table. The discussion led to the
>waiter and others at my table saying that it was up to the customer to sniff
>the cork.
>
>I'm curious as to whether the "custom" is different in the USA than in Europe.
>Or was our waiter last night just misinformed. To me it makes sense that the
>server would sniff the cork to be sure that he doesn't even pour a wine for
>tasting that has gone bad.
>
>Admittedly, it's probably not important since the chance of me getting a bad
>bottle of the sort of wine I generally drink is almost zero. Still, I'm
>questioning which "custom" is right.

Cork taint runs at around 5%, so unless you only drink from screwtops
or plastic-corked bottles, chances are you have had quite a few faulty
bottles that you have not realised.

Siffing the cork does not tell you a lot about how good the wine is.
It can give a hint, but sniffing and tasting the wine is much more
reliable.

I could not really comment on correctness of custom, but I have seen
waiters sniff corks in Europe on rare occasions. And on one of the
ocassions the waitress poured the wine after sniffing, and it proved
to be horribly corked. She later admitted she had no idea what a
corked wine smellt like, so in that case it was a totally meaningless
ritual.

At the best resataurant I have had the pleasure of dining at, I
noticed the sommelier actually tasted a little of each bottle before
delivering to the table. What devotion to duty! That I have not seen
anywhere else.

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.

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

"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

>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.

At most stores, you find the wine bottles standing upright.... where
the cork does not come into contact with the wine.... That may be one
reason why so much of their wine goes bad......

Wine wholesalers should supply them with wine racks so that they can
display the wine bottle correctly for sale......

On Sun, 09 Nov 2003 09:12:32 GMT, "Tom S" >
wrote:

>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.

I usually sniff corks from bottles I open myself just for the sake of
interest. FWIW I get a lot of false positives - the cork smells musty
IMO but the wine is fine. Can't remember any correct judgements, or
other errors in either direction, but I do not keep a score.

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

>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.

That conclusion does not follow from the information you provided.

I would conclude that there is NO utility in sniffing the cork, as it affords
zero additional information to what you would determine by tasting the wine.

Other than checking to see if the brand on the cork is correct, there is no
point wasting time sniffing, squeezing, or otherwise playing with a cork
(unless perhaps you get off on that sort of thing).

If the wine smells and tastes fine, who cares what the cork might indicate?

If the wine is 'off', again, who cares whether or not the cork indicated this -
it might or might not, but in either case, the ONLY important information - is
the wine off or not - is determined by examination of the wine itself.

Arcane rituals with corks may be amusing, but they have no role deciding if a
wine is corked or not. If you can't tell by trying the wine, who cares what the
cork may indicate.

Might as well read the entrails of a sheep, although the cost of sheep and the
expense of having a sheep pen and readily available sharp implements has
drastically reduced the number of restaurants offering this service. The best
you will likely see is the odd chicken entrail reading service, and this is
usually restricted to use with first growths, otherwise they just give you the
cork to play with, though this does seem to placate many people.

>At most stores, you find the wine bottles standing upright.... where
>the cork does not come into contact with the wine.... That may be one
>reason why so much of their wine goes bad......
>

I doubt the short term upright storage has anything to do with TCA contaminated
(corked) bottles. If the cork is tainted, it is tainted, and will eventually
impact the wine.

As long as the wine is not stored upright for more than a few months, the cork
will not dry out, and the wine will not become oxidized (other than the small
amount of oxygen in the bottle). Most volume brands, eg Gallo of Sonoma,
Fetzer, Ch. St. Michelle, Hogue turn over fairly quickly.

If a store sells its premium wines, eg Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Chateau Lafite
Roth., upright, in the direct sun, or too warm, you should find a different
store.

A good store has horizontal racks and a good cooling system for their ageworthy
wines.

Oxidation and TCA are two different things.


Tom Schellberg

I agree with Steve's last paragraph.

On another note, I don't want a waiter's nose near my cork, whether he
sniffs it and then lays it on the table or, puts it back in the bottle after
sniffing.

Dee


"Steve Slatcher" > wrote in message
...
> On 08 Nov 2003 15:59:04 GMT, (Steltzjr) wrote:
>
> >We just returned from Europe. Whenever the server opened the bottle of
wine,
> >he/she sniffed the cork as soon as it was pulled out.
> >
> >Last night at a restaurant in Baltimore we got discussing this. The
waiter did
> >not sniff the cork but just laid it on the table. The discussion led to
the
> >waiter and others at my table saying that it was up to the customer to
sniff
> >the cork.
> >
> >I'm curious as to whether the "custom" is different in the USA than in
Europe.
> >Or was our waiter last night just misinformed. To me it makes sense that
the
> >server would sniff the cork to be sure that he doesn't even pour a wine
for
> >tasting that has gone bad.
> >
> >Admittedly, it's probably not important since the chance of me getting a
bad
> >bottle of the sort of wine I generally drink is almost zero. Still, I'm
> >questioning which "custom" is right.
>
> Cork taint runs at around 5%, so unless you only drink from screwtops
> or plastic-corked bottles, chances are you have had quite a few faulty
> bottles that you have not realised.
>
> Siffing the cork does not tell you a lot about how good the wine is.
> It can give a hint, but sniffing and tasting the wine is much more
> reliable.
>
> I could not really comment on correctness of custom, but I have seen
> waiters sniff corks in Europe on rare occasions. And on one of the
> ocassions the waitress poured the wine after sniffing, and it proved
> to be horribly corked. She later admitted she had no idea what a
> corked wine smellt like, so in that case it was a totally meaningless
> ritual.
>
> At the best resataurant I have had the pleasure of dining at, I
> noticed the sommelier actually tasted a little of each bottle before
> delivering to the table. What devotion to duty! That I have not seen
> anywhere else.
>
> 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.
>
> --
> Steve Slatcher
> http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

> Cork taint runs at around 5%, so unless you only drink from screwtops

In Europe it's now reckoned to be about 12% and it's becoming a real
problem. The tree-huggers said we should stop denuding the cork forests by
using cork, then realised that the cork forests only exist because of cork
farmers, and now they're up in arms because we don't use enough cork. In
the meantime we're buying bottles of wine at $15 dollars a time with a
one-in-eight chance of being vinegar just because these borgeouis-no-jobs
think they have a cause to represent.

I blame society - let me out and buy me a vinyard.

> I would conclude that there is NO utility in sniffing the cork
> Other than checking to see if the brand on the cork is correct, there is
no
>
This is mind-boggling. Do people really switch bottles? I'm going to sound
like an old-world reactionary here, but surely not??

Please say so if otherwise - I've always dreamed of going to America just
for the massive steaks but if I can't trust the wine then let me know!

Mr B wrote:

> > I would conclude that there is NO utility in sniffing the cork
> > Other than checking to see if the brand on the cork is correct, there is
> no
> >
> This is mind-boggling. Do people really switch bottles? I'm going to sound
> like an old-world reactionary here, but surely not??

Surely not. I have never encountered any evidence, nor heard a first person
account, of bottle switching in any restaurant I know of. It may happen, but
not in any reputable restaurant, I would venture. By all accounts, the
branding of corks stems from a much earlier era when (possibly) the practice
was more commonplace than it appears to be today.

HTH
Mark Lipton

I don't know where you live, but in 2000 in Montreal at L'Express, we
ordered a bottle of wine which my husband considered "corked." The waiter
hospitably brought another brand like price. But the food was better than
the wine. I'll take food in Quebec when traveling anytime over the food in
U.S.

The steaks you mention are probably from Canada -- <grin>

Dee



"Mr B" > wrote in message
...
> > I would conclude that there is NO utility in sniffing the cork
> > Other than checking to see if the brand on the cork is correct, there is
> no
> >
> This is mind-boggling. Do people really switch bottles? I'm going to
sound
> like an old-world reactionary here, but surely not??
>
> Please say so if otherwise - I've always dreamed of going to America just
> for the massive steaks but if I can't trust the wine then let me know!
>
>

As a sommelier working in the Uk, i have seen this done quite often, and
most sommeliers will tell you they dont really know why they do, it just
seems to be a habit. Smelling the cork is rarely an accurate indicator of
TCA contamination. Try opening a bottle of Chtx Cissac, the corks smell
vile, but in 98% of the bottles the wine is perfectly fine. The only
accurate way to tell if the wine is faulty is by nosing and tasting it.

As for me, for some strange reason i occasionally find myself smelling the
cork, without realising it. maybe its genetic. ?!!!

grazz