Uneven cork going to be a problem? Pics attached.

[Nick Wine Guy]

I bought a couple bottle of 2014 Pinot Noir today from a smaller NZ producer and noticed the cork is oddly placed in there.

Is this likely to be a problem and should I exchange it?

There is a clear gap on the side near the top and part of it goes over the lip. They are already 5-6 years old, so likely OK or totally gone?

[WineRick]

Nothing at all wrong with this agglomerate cork. They can be harder to insert due to being denser, as shown by small, circular indentation left by corking machine.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I've never seen that before but it looks okay in that there appears to be no leakage, presuming that a 5-6 year old wine was laying on its side. Should be fine.

[Nick Wine Guy]

OK, thanks, Wine Rick. As long as its in there tight against all edges, that's all that matters? Is this different than a regular cork?

The fact I slipped the foil off and put back on.... Any issues there or am I just being paranoid?

[Ian S]

Hi Nick
No concerns - though the two things together suggest the winery in question might not be the best on the old bottling line!
regards
Ian

p.s. there were early concerns about glue leeching from agglomerate corks, but I fully expect those concerns to have been resolved by now (and may even have been cork industry scaremongering, as they often used to do)

[Nick Wine Guy]

Ian S, do you mean the fact I could wriggle the foil off is suspect? Or the two bottles?

I read somewhere that a foil should be able to twisted around a neck and if it was stuck could indicate heat exposure - any truth to this?

To be honest, I bought two at a tasting in a wine store because I was really impressed how it was drinking now, so I intended to have one in the short term (the one with the more post-purchase questionable cork) and then keep the other for the long term. Given two bottles are like this and it's a small run (300 cases), I'd imagine what I tasted in store isn't an aberration.

I'd recommend the wine if anyone is interested. I thought it was a Pinot Noir at first during the blind testing but I guessed Syrah simply because he said it was Hawke's Bay... but the winemaker was quick to point out it was the close by, but colder climate, *Central* Hawke's Bay. Absolute kick ass NZ PN from an area I wouldn't have associated with that varietal.

Winery name is Lauregan.

[Ian S]

Foil coming off + cork not put in flush. Nothing to worry about, but starts you thinking their bottling process is a little slapdash. It being a small run might partly explain.

Folks on US forums often put a lot of sway into whether foils move freely, especially for older wines. I'm less bought into this - some foils are as tight as yours was loose. Even when there is wine spillage that means the foil is stuck to the bottle, it's also perfectly feasible that this happened at bottling. Level is much more important IMO. When buying older wines, you learn this new lexiconography of IN,TS, US, MS etc. (or measuring in cm for Burgundy bottles).

[Nick Wine Guy]

Thanks for the assurance guys.

Just for my own knowledge, how would a heat damaged cork look in comparison to this? I.e. one that is protruding or otherwise indicative of an actual problem with the cork?

[Mahmoud Ali]

It is normally difficult to detect heat damage from the cork unless it was severe enough to cause the wine and the air in the bottle to expand to a degree which causes the cork to be pushed out against the capsule.

On time, travelling through Turkey, and in the coastal tourist area I saw street vendors with bottles of wine on display. Many of the wine bottles had protruding capsules to varying degrees, some as much as a half inch, which told me that they were in the sun for extended periods. On the other hand I remember buying a then current vintage riesling from a Coles/Wooly store and despite the bottle looking perfectly fine and the colour okay, the wine was thoroughly cooked and baked.

Mahmoud.