So, I just received a case of wine from what is I think a fairly well-known retailer (though this was my first time purchasing from them). It contained a couple of older bottles. One of these has some significant staining on the label. The staining doesn’t look recent to me; there is also a bit of residue on the bottle below the label, but nothing I’ve noticed in the area between the capsule and the label. The fill looks excellent.
While it seems entirely possible to me that the staining is due to something external (i.e. it’s not seepage), I am concerned, since the bottle is expensive enough (relative to my budget) that I’d be pretty annoyed if it was oxidized. I spoke to someone at the store, and was given the option to keep it, but with no recourse if it turns out to be bad, or return it for a refund. If I want a replacement bottle, I’m required to pay shipping one way. I didn’t ask, but I assume that removing the foil would make the bottle mine now and forever.
So, how do you assess label staining on an older bottle? How sanguine are you about it if there’s nothing obviously coming from under the foil? What do you expect of the retailer in this situation?
If your plan is to drink I would be less concerned about label staining if a) the fill is good, b) there are no signs of seepage and c) the capsule isn’t oxidized.
All that said, it should still warrant a slightly lower price vs a pristine label.
Thanks for the various comments. The label doesn’t bother me per se; I am curious whether folks are confident that they could tell the difference between seepage and a breaker. Or, I guess, just whether they would keep the bottle in analogous situation.
Keep in mind that there are many more reasons why an older label can become stained. You try hanging out in a cold, damp cellar for 20+ years and see how you come out…
Old cardboard resting against the label, a dirty OWC that is holding a mixture of old bottles with different shaped glass, and just plain dust plus humidity can make a white label, well… Much less white. Wine is in the minority of things that usually stains a label - especially if you are dealing with a cellar full of older bottles, cardboard and OWCs.
If you are buying to enjoy, not to sell or drink the labels, pay attention to the fill, cork and capsule. Fill should be CORRECT for the age! 30+ year old bottle that has a perfect from-the-winery fill is suspect. Cork should be firm, flush or slightly below the lip of the glass (no more than a quarter inch). Capsule should show no signs of dried wine, spinning is great but not required, oxidation means nothing - except if you plan to drink the capsule too… A heavily wrinkled capsule is a much bigger red flag - especially for big $$ bottles.
Enjoy those old bottles for what they are - time capsules that are always an adventure for what they may hold. Have fun, and get a Durand opener if older wines become a habit!