Is seapage always visible/noticeable?

[Monique Heinemans.]

I was wondering about this. I'm lucky to have no expierience with it, but is it possible to buy an older bottle that shows well and then when you remove the capsule there are signs of seapage? Or do you always see it right away?

Thanks, Monique

[Peter W. Meek]

I've had several bottles that had seepage concealed by the capsule. It may be that such minor seepage isn't very important. Those bottles seemed perfectly OK to me.

[Moses Botbol]

Be concerned with color and fill level. A little seepage is OK. If the cork is pushed out- not so OK.

[Marc J.]

Yes, it is entirely possible to have some seepage that might be hidden by the capsule. Depending on the amount of seepage, the age of the wine and a few other factors - the wine might still be O.K., but it does become somewhat of a hit & miss proposition.

[Andy Velebil]

the wine might still be O.K., but it does become somewhat of a hit & miss proposition.

Exactly what Marc said. I won't buy a wine that is a leaker unless the price is incredibly cheap (basically just shy of giving it away). Said wine is then only drunk at home where if it's not ok then I can toss it and open something else. While Port seems to do a little better than dry wines that are leakers, I've had my share of DOA bottles. ALWAYS understand buying a leaker is a crap-shoot.

And yes, it is possible that a capsule can hide signs of leakage. Especially recent leakage where someone could simply rinse off the top of the bottle with water to remove signs of leakage. With Port that's harder to do as the white paper Selo over the top usually gets stained by the wine. If you're not sure, ask whoever you're buying it from to peel up part of the capsule so you can shine a light in and look at the cork. If there are wine stains all the way up it, you may have an issue. But even that's not totally correct, as old Port corks generally are saturated throughout most of it. You've really got to look at the totality of the bottle (Fill level, is the Selo stained, other signs such as stickiness around the capsule, a cork that is pushed up, etc).

[Monique Heinemans.]

Thanks for the answers, they make sense to me and I will keep my eye's open.

Monique.

[Kurt Wieneke]

A little seepage is OK. If the cork is pushed out- not so OK.

Also if the capsule is bulging a little bit - not so OK. The other thing is those two small holes at the top of the capsule. Not sure what they are there for, but on some bottles of 1997 Niepoort these had the 'ooze' coming out of them as a red flag of something wrong.

[Tom Archer]

Not all corks are perfect - something like 1-2% of VP corks fail to make a perfect seal from the outset, and a stained selo - or worse.. - is evident when you prise open an owc. There was also an issue in the seventies and eighties when some producers economised on cork quality, resulting in serious seepage problems today.

Something like 20% of otherwise good corks begin to give out after about 40 years, resulting in gradual ullaging, and often without obvious seepage; but bottles that have maintained a good level to that age have a very low incidence of subsequent ullage and seepage.

Old bottles can sometimes show a little seepage after transport, but then heal themselves once laid down in a cellar.

The important thing is to manage your cellar properly, inspect your bottles periodically; and always drink bottles with seepage or ullage issues first..

..survival of the fittest!

Tom

[Eric Menchen]

... inspect your bottles periodically; and always drink bottles with seepage or ullage issues first..

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

[Andy Velebil]

. .....There was also an issue in the seventies and eighties when some producers economised on cork quality....

Tom

Tom,
Curious as to where you got that information?

[Tom Archer]

Curious as to where you got that information

Observation, dear boy..

Tom

[Andy Velebil]

Curious as to where you got that information

Observation, dear boy..

Tom

Understandable given the issues with corks around that time. This topic is one which I've spoken about a lot here, elsewhere, and also with many Port producers. However, I can assure you there was major issues with the cork industry producing poor quality corks and it was NOT the Port producers fault nor was the Port industry purposely using poor quality corks. It was the Port producers themselves who eventually put pressure on the cork industry to clean up their act.

[Tom Archer]

The trouble with that explanation is that some shippers have very much bigger issues than others. Claret corks from that era seem to be of better quality overall than those used for VP - but aren't they also sourced from Portugal?

Tom

[Andy Velebil]

Keep in mind I'm not just referring to the company who stamps out the final product. There is also the raw cork supplier and any potential middle men to toss into the mix as being part of the problem as well.

True, it seems to affect more producers than others. But you have to understand how corks are produced. "Lots"* of corks can vary greatly from other Lots of corks. Corks are ordered by a producer with specifications of what they want (size, shape, type, quality level, etc), a production run is then made, and sent to the wine producer. They are typically not an off-the-shelf item for a wine producer. So issues tend to show up in batches.

While I will not name names, I've had this discussion with a lot of Port producers, both large and small, and lets just say there was some shenanigans going on in the cork industry back then and the quality of the corks suffered. The Port industry realized this and put a lot of pressure on the cork industry to clean up their act for obvious reasons. This is a topic very near and dear to me having had many duff bottles and as a result I've done a lot of digging to find out what the real issue was that caused it. This isn't a theory of mine.

As for claret, can't help you there as I don't drink much old claret nor do I follow closely recent discussions on it. But I do know many people who've been in the wine biz for many decades I'm sure I could ask and get their opinion.


* "Lots" refers to a production lot, not lots as in many.

[theodore anderson]

I've had several bottles that had seepage concealed by the capsule. It may be that such minor seepage isn't very important. Those bottles seemed perfectly OK to me.

It's my (limited) experience that many older wines of Port- or Auslese-level sweetness and high acidity develop slight seepage with age. Is this normal? I've heard assertions that the fortification and/or high sugar and acid levels help to act as preservatives against oxygen ingress while simultaneously compromising cork integrity. Does this resonate with anyone?