Bad wine?

[california_rookie]

I've just had what was supposed to be an award-winning Merlot, vintage 2004. It smelled a little off when I uncorked it and left what can only be described as a very bad vegetable-ey aftertaste that has lingered for a good twenty minutes, now. Both myself and the missus agree completely on this. Coincidentally, I'd just had another similarly priced 2004 Merlot the other night and it tasted just fine.

Can wine go bad in the bottle? And what does it taste like once it's gone off?
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[pwntifex]

Corked?
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the warped one: This is a follow up from the thread 'my willy hurts'

[california_rookie]

I do believe you're right. Excellent work, sir. Now I've got a legitimate term to use while returning it.

How about another question? Or two. Should red wine be refrigerated after opening? And how long does it keep?
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[feef]

don't refrigerate red wine. It should be served at room temperature.

Recork it if you can, but the best way of keeping a red is to use a 'Vacu-vin' or similar, which is a corking tool that removes the air from within the bottle to prevetn the wine oxidising.

Should last a few days.

a
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[m99dws]

It can go off due to corking yes.

[feef]

[lozzypop1]

[feef]

[stinkwheel]

It may be that it just wasn't very nice. One 2004 Merlot is not the same thing as another 2004 Merlot, this merely describes the variety of grape and the year of production. As with all things, there are good and bad.

So, in comparing your two bottles, there is only room to compare quality if both bottles were the same grape, the same year AND the same vinyard (ie both bottles exactly identical).

The reason I mention this is that I personally think the incidence of 'corked' wine is nowhere near as high as people think. What most people think is corked is actually simply bad wine, badly stored wine or shocked wine that's been warmed up rapidly or just spent all day rolling about in the boot of a car.

I've had wine that I thought was corked until I got some that was properly corked. I inadvertantly took a mouthful without smelling it first and I can assure you I have never put anything quite so unpleasant in my mouth. It elicited a gagging reflex and I had to work very hard not to spray it directly back out of my mouth.

The nearest thing I could liken it to was being CS gassed.

2004 seems quite old for a merlot. Perhaps it was past its best. Especially if it has been sat upright on a shelf in a shop for a while.

Anyway. Merlot is such a cliche wine for an American to drink. Try something other than Cab Sav and Merlot for a change. I had some VERY good Californian malbec recently wich was inexpensive and highly palettable. You may struggle to find it in American stores though, for such a good wine producing region, most of the people are very conservative with what they will buy.
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[lozzypop1]

[california_rookie]

SW, I may be new to the wine appreciateurs' club but, I can definitely differentiate between a variance in flavor and something gone horribly wrong. To be honest, I do struggle to tell the difference between wines of similar type, vintage, and origin. Foreign wines are a bit easier, obviously, as the regions in which they're produced, as well as the conditions under which the grapes are grown, can vary greatly. And if you still doubt my sense of taste, my sense of smell drove me to remove the offensive bottle of wine from the house as the stench of moldy filth emanating from the cork (which had been firmly placed back in the bottle) had already made it from the kitchen to the front door by the time I'd returned from purchasing a replacement bottle. Also, my cat loves wine, but shrank back on horror when I offered him a sniff of my glass. That was good enough for me, and should be for you as well. He has very refined tastes. Most likely derived from licking his asshole several hours a day. But, I digress.

If you could recommend a few more varieties, preferably in the full-flavored red group, it might be interesting to sample a new specimen or two the next time I'm on that side of town.
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[m99dws]

I only drink wine when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty.

[owdamer]

I've just opened a bottle of Blossom Hill 2006 californian shiraz rose we recieved as a substitute for something else we ordered from sainburys and after a couple of sips i'm wishing we had sent it back as its making my teeth curl. Its tastes very strong (13%abv) and is like a blend of ribena and cough syrup. I think this is only the 2nd bottle of blossom hill i've ever had, and quite possibly the last. I was sick after drinking the first one, although to be fair I had drunk quite a bit before. This one however, i'm sober, and am likely to remain so as I dont think I could stomach more that one glass.
Oh well, I'm working tomorrow so I suppose its for the best really.

[Jrod]

[syl]