If you’re a regular wine drinker, it’s likely you’ve encountered a situation where you’d like to return a bottle of wine – whether at a restaurant or retailer. So when is it appropriate to return a bottle of wine? Let’s take a closer look.
When ordering wine at a restaurant there are several situations which may arise wherein you may be justified in returning or requesting a new bottle or glass. The primary reason is a faulted wine – with two faults being most common: oxidized & corked. If you frequently order wines by the glass you’ve likely encountered an oxidized wine, whether you’ve been able to identify it or not is another question. A wine will oxidize if the bottle has been open too long, especially if the bar/restaurant doesn’t use a preserver when closing bottles for the evening. Telltale characteristics are a dull, lackluster appearance with little or no flavor and hints of vinegar. When at it’s worst, you’ll will immediately feel the urge to spit it out… tough to do back into a glass! If you encounter a wine that you believe is oxidized I recommend asking the server how long the bottle has been open, this is a great place to start. More often than not the server will simply open a new bottle of the same wine and pour a fresh glass. I will often keep the first glass and use it as a learning experience for myself, others with me and even perhaps the staff of the establishment. An oxidized wine may be avoidable, but in most places that do many by the glass wines, it’s likely an oxidized one will inevitably be poured. One hint when ordering a wine by the glass… keep on eye on the server when they grab the bottle to pour your glass – if it’s nearly empty already the chance of it being oxidized goes up… especially if it’s early in the evening (indicating it may be from the previous night).
Although quite rare, it is possible to get an oxidized bottle of wine from a retail establishment – and it’s noticeable upon opening the bottle. A wine may oxidize in the bottle if the cork has failed – evidenced by an extremely dry cork, or one that has let air into the bottle. This can be evidenced by severe wine seepage through the entire cork. Keep in mind that if you have a cork that has some funk on the top of it (even mold), it likely won’t affect the wine if the body of the cork is intact and solid, with the bottom showing proper storage (wine slightly absorbed and damp). If this happens with a bottle you’ve recently purchased, I suggest taking it back to the retailer and explaining your situation. The issue gets more complicated if your purchase wasn’t so recent – as the retailer can’t guarantee it’s storage since leaving the store. If the wine has oxidized as a result of improper storage on your part or simply because it’s WAY past it’s predicted age worthiness, unfortunately the fault lies in your hands (pun intended). My recommendation is to store your wines properly and don’t wait too long to drink them!
The second most common reason – a wine being corked – is more likely to be encountered when opening a new bottle. Whether this is at a restaurant or at home. Of course you could get a corked wine when you get the first glass from a bottle for a glass pour as well. In which case you should be sure to let the server know so they can dispose of the entire bottle (or better yet, use it as a training opportunity for their staff!). So what is a “corked” wine and how can you tell? The most common cause of cork taint is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA for short) – a chloroanisole produced from a fungal-chemical interaction. It is evidenced by aromas of musty or wet cardboard, damp moldy conditions or sort of like grandma’s closet (no offense to all the grandma’s out there!). Once you smell it you won’t forget it – but knowing it if you’re not familiar can be difficult. Instead of identifying a wine as corked you may simply think you don’t like the wine or that it isn’t a quality product – which is unfortunate, because in reality it’s a fault that’s really no one’s fault at all.
So you’re out to dinner, you order a bottle of wine, the server does the whole show the bottle, open the bottle and pours a sample. You sip the wine, the server standing at attention awaiting approval. However, you believe the wine is corked. You should explain to the server your concern – at which time they will likely remove the wine and consult someone else to confirm your suspicions. This is an acceptable reason to return a bottle of wine- but realize you may not get a favorable response from the establishment if they happen to disagree. Of course I believe the customers is always right and they should not argue the point. If they believe the wine is not corked, they will likely explain that the wine is correct and recommend you choose a different wine. Even in this case I believe you should not be charged for the first bottle.
If you purchase a bottle from a retailer and upon opening it at home you find it’s corked, I recommend that you don’t pour the wine out, but instead re-cork it and return it to the store. Share with them your experience and they should simply replace the bottle. Of course you shouldn’t abuse the “return” by simply returning bottles you don’t like (and it’s likely the retailer will double check your conclusion).
So, we’ve covered some situations when you can return a glass or a bottle- when isn’t it acceptable to return a bottle? At a restaurant it’s not appropriate to simply return a wine that you don’t like – with one possible exception. Let’s say your server vehemently suggests a wine… you accept but aren’t as thrilled as the server. Perhaps you test the waters and see if an offer to exchange the bottle is a possibility, but remember, you actually ordered it, so enjoy it as an experience, pour more for your guests than yourself and order your choice!
Some definite situations where you’re simply out of luck…
If you buy the wine, leave it in your car and it freezes or cooks, that’s your fault. However, in freezing, if the bottle hasn’t broken and the cork is still at least partially in the bottle, the wine will probably be fine… drink it sooner (much) rather than later- typically within a day or two. If it’s cooked (evidenced by stewed aromas and flavors that are definitely not right), then simply do the same… cook with it. Incidentally, you can also cook with a wine you’ve had opened for too long (and it’s now oxidized) or a wine you simply don’t care to drink on it’s own.
If in opening the bottle of wine you break the cork – so be it. There are some methods that work to pull a partial cork out of the bottle (ask your wine professional), or simply but cautiously push the cork into the bottle and strain the wine (to remove small pieces of cork). You breaking the cork isn’t a fault of the wine or wine store… it’s your fault. That being said, if you need a quality opener, I have plenty of recommendations and would even be willing to teach you how to use them!
I’m sure there are other circumstances that someone might consider returning a bottle of wine, but chances are if it’s some bizarre thing, it’s probably not returnable – but you can always try!
Thanks for stopping by the CLG-BLOG and I hope you enjoyed the read! And please feel free to stop in to Cafe le Grand – where we’re changing the way you look at wine!
Regards,
Ron
