We Were Corked!!!

Friday night I was at our wine dinner and the first course was being served. They were pairing a chardonnay with ginger marinated shrimp with some yet to be identified but delicious green with light vinaigrette.

Most of these folks I was with enjoy wine, but they are all novices.

I was away from the table when they poured. When I came back I asked, “How is the wine?”

There were a few half hearted smiles but you could tell no one liked it. I took a sniff and a tiny sip…whew! The bottled had been corked and no one knew it. They just thought it was supposed to taste like ass.

I felt like such a wine snob when I called over the waiter and had the staff collect the undrinkable wine, set out new glasses and poured a most delightful chardonnay.

The whole reason you do all that sniffin’ and sippin’ at first is to make sure that wine is okay before you guests taste it. It’s not to see if you like it.

I had a wine sommelier tell me once that sniffing a cork was useless. Not in this case. The cork smelled like a moldy basement that had just burnt down next to a baby diaper laundry. This was an extreme case of stanky cork.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate it when that happens!

none said...

I went to a paid wine tasting place where on each flight they served several glasses of wine that tasted like they had been mixed with naptha and buzzard vomit.

It was almost funny to see people act sophisitcated and pretend they liked it.

I like your cork analogy

Stacy said...

I have never had a taste for wine but I will keep this in mind.

TerryC said...

Moldy basement NEXT to a burnt diaper laundry....too much!
Naptha and buzzard vomit!

I guess I just haven't lived. I wouldn't even come close to knowing what those things smell or taste like.

MessyJessy said...

Hmmm...we (my MIL, FIL & husband) were on a cruise. Our travel agent gifted us 4 bottles of wine with dinner...we don't drink so they said they would exchange it for "non alcoholic wine" essentially the White Zin. The first night the sommelier poured a little into the Hubby glass and he tasted it to make sure it was good. Well, he had no clue what it was supposed to taste like (dry sweet) so when the 3 of us took a sip it tasted just like I just licked the "moldy basement" you described. The next couple nights it was actually light and sweet so I guess it was just that particular bottle. I buy wine(s) to cook with so I have a little knowledge...and I did the sampling when we visited Biltmore winery. I really liked the sweetest wine (surprise) Chenin Blanc...I'm not very sophisticated when it comes to wine since I love the cheap sweet stuff! ha ha!

Unknown said...

I have never had this problem. Is that because I only drink wine from a box?