The Auswine Forum

I've got a magnum from 70's which has been stored in the wine fridge for the past few years without any issue. However I found it's been leaking, ullaged from base of the neck to high shoulder within 4 months (it was okay when I moved house in April). It is obviously not heat related.

So is it likely caused by cork failure? if so how would you rectify the issue? would you recork it by yourself?

cheers

I'm no cork expert, but I suspect once you uncork it (which you'll really have to do rather soon) the downhill slide will inexorably begin, and has likely done so already.

Perhaps access to something like the Winesave product and a magnum corking machine might be an option, know anyone with one?

Personally I'd find an excuse to open it ASAP. Party at your place??

What wine is it out of interest?

Cheers
Tim

Seven wrote:I've got a magnum from 70's which has been stored in the wine fridge for the past few years without any issue. However I found it's been leaking from base of the neck to high shoulder within 4 months (it was okay when I moved house in April). It is obviously not heat related.

So is it likely caused by cork failure? if so how would you rectify the issue? would you recork it by yourself?

cheers

Probably best way to rectify the situation would be to bring it along to an offline Chi

Mark

I'm happy to do it. but the problem is that you are always busy and never available!

Hockey season is ending now so I will have more time for drinking activities...

Seven,

Over time wine will slowly creep through the cork as you've probably noticed on the sides of corks extracted from older bottles. I think at some stage the wine will reach the top of the cork and as it softens the leaking will begin. Of course each cork is different in that a natural cork will have it's own composition and grain if you will.

Your wine is probably intact as it is a magnum and sounds like a cellaring style. You could re-cork it with little adverse effect much like Penfold's does with older bottles at it's re-corking clinics they conduct. The only difference might be that you won't be able to top up the wine however I don't consider that too big a worry as shoulder level on a magnum isn't that big a deal provided you don't keep it too long.

If you had been thinking of opening it in the near future then it's a good time for it but if you had planned to cellar it longer than you certainly need to re-cork it.

Cheers......................Mahmoud.

My best weeping wine story.

I had just returned from a visit to Australia. A friend drops in and I have no wine at home, all my wine cellared elsewhere. I recall that there might be a couple of bottles under the china cabinet. I slide a bottle out and as I do swine spills out from the capsule onto the cream-coloured carpet. I'm horrified.

The capsule is loose, not unusual, but on holding the bottle upright and pulling the capsule off I see that there are tiny bubbles in the wine seeping up around the cork. No science degree required to decide that "now" was the time to open the bottle.

The bottle: 1975 Lindemans Auburn Burgundy, Bin 5220, the wine: lovely, ripe, warm, mature, complex, and long, probably the second best mature Australian wine I've ever had after after the 1982 Penfolds Bin 820.

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Weeping wines, not always something to cry about.

Cheers.................................Mahmoud.

I'm jealous. I was born in 75, but have yet to find a nice wine from that year. (Can't afford the grange).

UPDATE

contacted the winery. Was advised to send the bottle to them for inspection

- if it's drinkable. they will top up with current vintage and re-cork (possibly not new capsule due to different neck size)
- if not drinkable, it will be poured down the drain... (I'll cry about it...)

Seven,

What are you waiting for? Surely you find some occasion this weekend to enjoy it before it deteriorates any further. It's spring - the flowers are out and the magpies are frisky - isn't that enough reason?

By the way, the leakage probably would be due to cork failure - in the same way that hips and knees tend to fail in elderly persons and need replacement. They just wear out when they get old.

Sparky

Going to tell us what the wine is Seven??

sparky wrote:Seven,

What are you waiting for? Surely you find some occasion this weekend to enjoy it before it deteriorates any further. It's spring - the flowers are out and the magpies are frisky - isn't that enough reason?

By the way, the leakage probably would be due to cork failure - in the same way that hips and knees tend to fail in elderly persons and need replacement. They just wear out when they get old.

Sparky

yeah right Sparky!

just come to Adelaide and we'll share it

TiggerK wrote:Going to tell us what the wine is Seven??

sorry Tim I didn't see this question in your last response.

It's a Mount Mary Quintet 1979.

Just changed my mind. I think I'm not gonna send it back and just open it soon...

sounds like the kind of wine which would go well with an Audi

De-cork it yesterday, never tried any MM but am led to believe Bailey Carrodus was in some respects an innovator in the Yarra Valley. 30 years+? Do you seriously believe that bottle with a weeping cork will improve from where it is now? If you are really lucky, it may not yet be oxidised.

I think you will find Bailey Carrodus was from Yarra Yering but you are right in the other respects.

Last night my brother in law was showing me his wine collection.
He doesn't drink red anymore for whatever reason, still likes a scotch, so his collection has remained dormant.
He opens the door to his wine cupboard and the first bottle I see is a 92 Rockford basket press, and on I look.
Sure enough he's got late 80's 389's, a 1990 407, some late 80's and early 90's St henri etc etc.
Some of these had leaked and were looking worse for wear.
Down lower I spied a wooden Rockford box. A 1991 Magnum of Basket Press, leaking, totally stuffed.

And on it went. There were tons of labels I've never seen and some I've vaguely heard of.
Lots of Koppamurra Coonawarra, Hugo's from MV and some mid 90's Richard Hamilton shiraz.
To finish off I found a mountain of late 80's early 90's Wynns Black label Cab Savs.
Oh yeah, and some wendourees tucked in the back.
Crazy. I'd say 1/3 of the entire collection was in some state/stage of leakage.

/cry!

Leaking won't mean it is totally stuffed..it just means the chances are higher that they are...

I'd guess a good portion of those are goners..but only one way to find out .

Scotty vino wrote:Last night my brother in law was showing me his wine collection.
He doesn't drink red anymore for whatever reason, still likes a scotch, so his collection has remained dormant.
He opens the door to his wine cupboard and the first bottle I see is a 92 Rockford basket press, and on I look.
Sure enough he's got late 80's 389's, a 1990 407, some late 80's and early 90's St henri etc etc.
Some of these had leaked and were looking worse for wear.
Down lower I spied a wooden Rockford box. A 1991 Magnum of Basket Press, leaking, totally stuffed.

And on it went. There were tons of labels I've never seen and some I've vaguely heard of.
Lots of Koppamurra Coonawarra, Hugo's from MV and some mid 90's Richard Hamilton shiraz.
To finish off I found a mountain of late 80's early 90's Wynns Black label Cab Savs.
Oh yeah, and some wendourees tucked in the back.
Crazy. I'd say 1/3 of the entire collection was in some state/stage of leakage.

Why doesnt he sell them / give them away / do something with them???

sjw_11 wrote:

Scotty vino wrote:Last night my brother in law was showing me his wine collection.
He doesn't drink red anymore for whatever reason, still likes a scotch, so his collection has remained dormant.
He opens the door to his wine cupboard and the first bottle I see is a 92 Rockford basket press, and on I look.
Sure enough he's got late 80's 389's, a 1990 407, some late 80's and early 90's St henri etc etc.
Some of these had leaked and were looking worse for wear.
Down lower I spied a wooden Rockford box. A 1991 Magnum of Basket Press, leaking, totally stuffed.

And on it went. There were tons of labels I've never seen and some I've vaguely heard of.
Lots of Koppamurra Coonawarra, Hugo's from MV and some mid 90's Richard Hamilton shiraz.
To finish off I found a mountain of late 80's early 90's Wynns Black label Cab Savs.
Oh yeah, and some wendourees tucked in the back.
Crazy. I'd say 1/3 of the entire collection was in some state/stage of leakage.

Why doesnt he sell them / give them away / do something with them???

I suggested he either flog them off, drink them, or (my preferred suggestion) give/sell them to me.!
I mentioned Wickmans Fine Wine auctions as avenue to sell them.
He's a pretty cruisey type of bloke and he'll "get around to it".
But I did drive home the point that the longer he leaves it the worst it'll get, so get on it!!