The Auswine Forum

Hi Good Peoples,

Last night I cut the foil off a 96 St Hugo and the top of the cork was stained but there was no ullage so I thought the wine would probably be fine. Pulled the cork and tasted it - oxidised, not terrible but oxidised wine gives me heartburn.

Cut the foil of the second and it also had a stained cork top. Pulled the cork and whist it was not as badly oxidised, it was still showing oxidised characters. So, I pulled out a third bottle and it too had a wet top!

However, there was no oxidation and the wine was fine, it was also a great way to show the difference between a perfect bottle, a slightly oxidised example and one that was not good.

Has anyone noticed a their corks on 96 St Hugo? I am just wondering if this is coincidence, bad storage before they got to me or what? I have another six pack in the cellar I will pull out to check but can't get to them now.

Ric,

Only opened one and it was fine both as to cork and wine!

The "bad pack" tends to be memorable particularly if you know that you bought the wine on release...Mildara white label CS 1971 - and then again in 1986 left....a bad taste in my mouth only relieved by the 1990 Alexander.

Similarly a set of Lindemans HR semillon from the early eighties where every one of them suffered - and with semillon there is no chance of disguise...

However they have been the only "bad sets" over a hell of a long period - and I won't try and estimate the number of bottles...

regards,

fred

Had one a month or two ago and no problems with the cork or the wine. Excellent wine in fact.

All mine have been sound.
GW

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses. Looks like the laws of averages playing silly bugger$. I cut the foils of the other six pack and 5 of them have corks with no leakage so hopefully they will all be OK.