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Subject: Cork damage from overheated wine?
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ChangeMeUser is Offline
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06/08/2005 3:15 AM  
Hi all,

I received some wine that was overheated in transit, sauternes of recent vintage if that makes a difference. I'm guessing it was overheated because some of the sticky stuff was on the outside of the bottle, not much probably a few drops per bottle. The bottle was a little warm to the touch, though not hot and the fill level at the time I received it was all the way to the cork. I guess if I was lucky, the seepage resulted from overfill rather than overheating.

In any case, I know the potential problems the wine might have, and I plan to drink them soon (3 bottles total), but it might be a month or two before I get through all 3.

My question is, since there has already been seepage, do I need to keep the bottles standing up, or is it still OK to lay it down in my wine cellar? From what I can see, the corks seem to be in normal shape, though I have not cut back the capsule. Since they have already had some seepage, does this mean that they will leak if the wine is in a position to get past the cork?

Thanks,
Rudy
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06/08/2005 3:22 AM  
You're probably OK for near term consumption. If the seepage was due to heat and the bottles felt warm, I would either return them or drink them soon. The big advantage with Sauternes is that you can closely monitor the color. What vintage are the wines, how's the ullage, and what color are the wines?
ChangeMeUser is Offline
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06/08/2005 6:49 AM  
Thanks for the response Board_O. The wine is a 2001 Suduiraut. The color appears to be exactly the same as a few other bottles I have of the same wine that were purchased at a different time. There is zero ullage. As I mentioned above the wine is all the way up to the cork. The bottles are about the fullest I have ever seen of any wine.

I probably wasn't clear enough in the original post, but my question was actually, since there has been some seepage, is it still OK to lay the bottles horizontally in my cellar, or do I need to keep them standing so the liquid doesn't have a chance to get past the cork.

Thanks,
Rudy
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06/08/2005 12:19 PM  
I'd lie them down and if seepage continues, I'd return them, if possible, especially if you intend to age some of them for a long time. Normally, I like Sauternes at about 4 years after vintage, but the best can go quite a long time. The ony 2001 I tried was the Rieussec (thanks to Rothko) and the wine needs time. The 1967 d'Yquem is going strong.
Edward BowersUser is Offline
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06/13/2005 6:34 PM  
I would place some cheese cloth around the cork area in case there is any other dripping, and prevent any discoloring or stickiness to those bottles below them.
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