Rockford Cork

[Scotty vino]

Here's a photo of a 2010 Rockford Basket Press that's been cellared passively since purchase from cellar door.
Just wanting some feedback from the Auswine brains trust of what appears to be mould in the foil holes.
Something to worry about or nothing to see here?
Thanks in advance.

[winetastic]

Mold is pretty common, especially if you have a passive cellar in a humid area. I generally remove the entire capsule and if I see any mold, ill wipe it away with a damp cloth before removing the cork.

[michel]

no problem

[Raymo]

Mould? Or metal oxidation (I can't recall the correct term, someone on this forum will know - essentially the tin foil capsule breaking down where it is 'raw' at the cut holes and exposed to the elements)? if the later, no problem at all. If mould, not uncommon, but depends where the moisture came from (i.e. humidity in the air, or leaking wine).

[Redav]

I wouldn't worry about mould either, go check out some of them French cellars!

[Mahmoud Ali]

No worries about the mold, many old wines in cellars have them. Some of my oldest wines have had an all kinds of gunk under the capsule which needed to be wiped clean before extracting the cork.

[n4sir]

Coming from someone also in Adelaide, it's extremely unusual for an Adelaide passive cellar to be humid enough to result in cellar mould, we just don't have the continuous humidity for it compared to the eastern states. I am specifically referring to passive cellars here, not commercial wine storage or cellar fridges/rooms with continuous air conditioners and humidifiers - there is the odd occasion where there's some kind of water seepage into a passive cellar that may cause mould and damp/wrinkled labels, but that leads to a completely bigger problem to worry about...

That picture looks like some kind of corrosion as opposed to cellar mould, possible signs of very mild seepage or (quite likely) a very porous cork. Rockford's continued usage of the crappy three piece cork is notorious for problems, so I would keep a close eye on this bottle or lean towards opening it on the earlier side to be safe. George Krashos also has a passive cellar and is a Rockford collector, it's probably worth a PM to him or a question at the offline next month for a second opinion.

[Scotty vino]

Coming from someone also in Adelaide, it's extremely unusual for an Adelaide passive cellar to be humid enough to result in cellar mould, we just don't have the continuous humidity for it compared to the eastern states. I am specifically referring to passive cellars here, not commercial wine storage or cellar fridges/rooms with continuous air conditioners and humidifiers - there is the odd occasion where there's some kind of water seepage into a passive cellar that may cause mould and damp/wrinkled labels, but that leads to a completely bigger problem to worry about...

That picture looks like some kind of corrosion as opposed to cellar mould, possible signs of very mild seepage or (quite likely) a very porous cork. Rockford's continued usage of the crappy three piece cork is notorious for problems, so I would keep a close eye on this bottle or lean towards opening it on the earlier side to be safe. George Krashos also has a passive cellar and is a Rockford collector, it's probably worth a PM to him or a question at the offline next month for a second opinion.

This is an interesting response Ian. Your comments on humidity intrigue me. My cellar floats around the 60-80% mark in terms of humidity. I was of the understanding that 50-70% humidity is a good thing for corks. I have two mates very close by with very similar passive cellaring conditions. All our homes were built in the same year (1910) and the cellars themselves are all of similar style and layout. The difference being my is located in the middle of the house whereas theirs are up against southern outside wells with small vents. Im the only one rocking an hygrometer so im not exactly sure where there's are at in terms of humidity but temps seem the same. Having been down in theirs on numerous occascions I think they feel similar to mine.

The odd thing with mine is that it can be 23-24 degrees upstairs yet be 19-20 done in the cellar yet it can sometimes feel warmer in the cellar. This has to have something to do with the humidity. Mine, like a lot of other SA cellars, seems to go from 15 to 20 degrees and back again at a very gradual rate over a 12 month period.

[JamieBahrain]

What about those continental northerlies? I'd have though they'd dry out the cellar within hours?

[George Krashos]

That's odd. Never seen that in any of my wines, not just Rockford. Mould likes humidity and moisture. A drop of wine under the capsule when bottling? Somehow the capsule of that particular bottle was exposed to some liquid. Anyway it's harmless.

[Scotty vino]

That's odd. Never seen that in any of my wines, not just Rockford. Mould likes humidity and moisture. A drop of wine under the capsule when bottling? Somehow the capsule of that particular bottle was exposed to some liquid. Anyway it's harmless.

That's what DK from Rockfords said George. He called my mate the other day regards that pic. Nothing to see here.

[n4sir]

That's what DK from Rockfords said George. He called my mate the other day regards that pic. Nothing to see here.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BsJukin.jpg[/img]

[Bobthebuilder]

Coming from someone also in Adelaide, it's extremely unusual for an Adelaide passive cellar to be humid enough to result in cellar mould, we just don't have the continuous humidity for it compared to the eastern states. I am specifically referring to passive cellars here, not commercial wine storage or cellar fridges/rooms with continuous air conditioners and humidifiers - there is the odd occasion where there's some kind of water seepage into a passive cellar that may cause mould and damp/wrinkled labels, but that leads to a completely bigger problem to worry about...

That picture looks like some kind of corrosion as opposed to cellar mould, possible signs of very mild seepage or (quite likely) a very porous cork. Rockford's continued usage of the crappy three piece cork is notorious for problems, so I would keep a close eye on this bottle or lean towards opening it on the earlier side to be safe. George Krashos also has a passive cellar and is a Rockford collector, it's probably worth a PM to him or a question at the offline next month for a second opinion.

I understand the Adelaide humidity point but when a cellar is below ground level the humidity inside the cellar is quite often far different to the outside air humidity if there is very little air flow. If there is very little or no air flow then the ground conditions will determine the humidity (assuming the walls are not waterproofed, which given Scotty's cellar I am quite certain they are not)

[Wayno]

Yeah I’ve seen this in the past from my old cellar which was literally a room in the middle of the house underthe kitchen, with no ventilation. Have not seen this capsule mould in our current cellar which is also not vented to the outside but does have a door to the foot of a flight of stairs, which I leave open. My old cellar always felt rather warm too, consistent I think with the humidity and stuffiness.
.

[kenzo]

I think this is no problem at all, Have seen in many wines in my cellar (professional) and never a problem. At all.