When people are at a fancy restaurant and order a bottle of wine the waiter brings it out and pours out a sip to taste. What happens if the customer dosen’t like it? Can you actually send back the whole bottle? Does the customer pay for it? What does the restaurant do with the rest of the bottled?
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Theres some great answers here. But what to do in practice if you are asked to test the wine?
The main thing you are looking for is a smell and/or taste of vinegar. This is what happens to wine if the cork leaks slightly. Secondary things might be a foul aftertaste, but really if you just look for vinegar you’ll be fine.
If youd like to try out what wine thats gone bad tastes like, leave a bottle opened for a couple of weeks uncapped, or leave out a glass for a few days. The vinegar should be very noticeable. If you are able to compare it to some fresh wine of the same kind then even better.
As for what you are supposed to do when tasting; first smell the wine. Is there vinegar, yes or no? If yes be sceptical of your sip. Then taste it. Some like to draw in a little extra air after taking a sip to allow the flavour to develop better. Is there vinegar? If no, give the waiter a confident nod. If there is vinegar or you are not sure, I like to ask the waiter for a second opinion: “Its a bit vinegary. What do you think, is this wine alright?”
Any extra flourishes people do such as swishing the wine around, checking the color, how it runs down the side of the glass etc is more about tasting notes than ascertaining if its corked. You can confidently leave those out.
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