Older wine cork removal experiences
 

As I'm beginning to venture into older wines (no real old one just yet), I'm
discovering that the corks tend to age if different ways. A few notes on the
last two problems I ran into. Not sure why some things are the way they are,
but I can make a few assumptions/guesses. Any feedback, advice or comments
are gladly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

1966 Pichon Baron - Upon removing the foil, I found a hard, white (somewhat
chalk-like) surface on the top of the cork. I used a damp cloth to remove
the debris. Most came off revealing the cork. Dry on top, the bottom half
was very saturated and fragile, and seperated during removal. I safely got
the rest out in one piece, and enjoyed the wine.

1975 La Lagune - This time, the surface of the cork was black - I assume dry
wine. A damp cloth was unable to remove all the debris, but some loosened.
Most of this cork was very dry and kept breaking into pieces during removal.
I assume these bottles spent a great deal of time vertically. Dropped a few
bits of cork into the wine, but they were easilly removed when I poured it
through a fine strainer into the decanter. Sediment was not strained and
very present. Needed to drink right away, so no time to let the sediment
resettle. Tried straining a glass through Mr. Coffee filter - this worked at
removing sediment - though it really didn't bother me, so I enjoyed 2nd
glass with sediment just fine.

\/

"Vincent" > wrote:

> A few notes on the last two problems I ran into.

At least part of your problem came from following the advice to
let stand the bottle up XXX hours/days/weeks/months before
opening. I seriously advise *against* this procedure, unless you
need to transport the bottle unopened.

Get a decanting basket/craddle, remove foil, clean the upside, an
draw the cork slowly. Even if it desintegrates, chances are good
that most particles won't fall into the wine, while the inevitably
will when the bottle stands upright.

Furthermore, the deposit will remain in place. Then decant
(without basket) over a light source. Just works fine.

M.

"Vincent" > wrote in message
m...
> As I'm beginning to venture into older wines (no real old one just yet),
> I'm discovering that the corks tend to age if different ways. A few notes
> on the last two problems I ran into. Not sure why some things are the way
> they are, but I can make a few assumptions/guesses. Any feedback, advice
> or comments are gladly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
>
> 1966 Pichon Baron - Upon removing the foil, I found a hard, white
> (somewhat chalk-like) surface on the top of the cork. I used a damp cloth
> to remove the debris. Most came off revealing the cork. Dry on top, the
> bottom half was very saturated and fragile, and seperated during removal.
> I safely got the rest out in one piece, and enjoyed the wine.
>
> 1975 La Lagune - This time, the surface of the cork was black - I assume
> dry wine. A damp cloth was unable to remove all the debris, but some
> loosened. Most of this cork was very dry and kept breaking into pieces
> during removal. I assume these bottles spent a great deal of time
> vertically. Dropped a few bits of cork into the wine, but they were
> easilly removed when I poured it through a fine strainer into the
> decanter. Sediment was not strained and very present. Needed to drink
> right away, so no time to let the sediment resettle. Tried straining a
> glass through Mr. Coffee filter - this worked at removing sediment -
> though it really didn't bother me, so I enjoyed 2nd glass with sediment
> just fine.
>
> \/
>

Reminds of something I've often wanted to try, but have feared, until last
Friday night. Would a Rabbit safely remove the cork from a 30+ year old
bottle? I decided to try. Took my 1964 Mouton and used the Rabbit - it
worked perfectly! The cork seemed very wet, and the screw went in without
resistance, so I was very happy to see that it pulled the cork out cleanly
and in one piece. The wine itself was still a little tight at first, very
dry, earthy, leathery, and after about half an hour, some sweetness and dark
fruit appeared. Not much of a finish however, but it was a very good
experience shared with close family after some Thanksgiving leftovers!