With so many wine bottles now sealed with synthetic corks or screwcaps, you might assume the problem of faulty wines had been eradicated. But, given the simultaneous growth in the popularity of low-sulphur “natural” wines, if anything things have actually got more complicated. Is a wine faulty or merely funky? And when do you have a right to send or take one back?
These days, bottles are rarely “corked” (infected by cork taint) – about 3%, compared with 20% 10 years ago, according to the UK’s largest distributor, Bibendum PLB – and it tends to be pretty obvious when they are: an unpleasant, musty or mouldy smell is a clear indicator that something is wrong. Slightly harder to call is when the wine merely tastes tired and flat, not as fresh or fruity as you remember, or slightly “cabbagey”, which is most likely due to the bottle having been displayed under hot bright lights. That can make it tougher to argue for a refund or a replacement, but it’s worth a try, especially if you know the wine well.
Trickier still is if the wine just seems a bit odd. The farmyardy aroma of a mature burgundy or the petrolly smell of an aged riesling, say, are reasonably familiar to wine lovers, but what if a white tastes to you more like cider than wine or if a red has a bit of a spritz? Well, it depends how strongly you feel about it. If the waiter or wine list hasn’t warned you that it may be outside your normal register and you find it unacceptable, insist on a replacement. But do try to keep an open mind: you may grow to like it, just as you came round to oxidised wines such as sherry, or to strong cheeses. After all, the iconic Château Musar, whose much-loved winemaker Serge Hochar died recently, is in no way a conventional wine, but it is one that should definitely be on your bucket list: the widely available 2007 vintage (14% abv) is £21.99 at Waitrose.
Equally, some might find orange wine – that is, white wine that has been deliberately left to pick up colour from the grape skins – a bit weird, but even Marks & Spencer sells a couple. Try that store’s Bolfan Primus Orange Pinot Sivi 2012 (£14; 14% abv), from Croatia, which tastes (deliciously, in my view) of hunza apricots and quince.
Or, more mainstream but still unexpected and one of the most delicious wines I’ve tasted this year, Berkeley-based Broc Cellars’ headily perfumed Vine Starr Zinfandel 2013 (£27.95 at Roberson, or £25.16 if you buy six; 12.5% abv) has the seductively silky texture of a top red burgundy, but without the funk.
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