Wine Basics
Wine Basics
The Cork: in some realms the cork holds the key to the wine, which is why people think the sommelier hands the consumer the cork. Â What do you do with it? Â Aside from snobbery, there are 3 basics:
- TOUCH: If the cork is dry, cracking or crumbling, maybe it did not do its job of keeping the wine safe. Maybe it was not stored properly like on its side, dried out, and allowed air to come in. If it is soft and supple it probably did its job well
- SIGHT: If it is an expensive bottle, the cork imprinted with anything other than the name of the wine could be a red flag. Â For example, if it reads Opici Chianti and its from a $150 bottle of Caymus, obviously it’s a counterfeit bottle.
- SMELL: Smelling the cork really does not do much, it might give you some indication as to the fragrance of the wine, but sniffing the glass will do the same thing. What you want to sense is if it smells like mildew. Â This would indicate that the wine might not have been stored properly and/or in a damp wine cellar.
