How often do you return corked wines?

[N_Lang]

I am in the 50-75% range with this breakdown:

Local retailers: Close to 100%. The few independent shops (and Total Wine) that I frequent are very understanding and stand behind their products. I have had issues with both grocery stores and Costco telling me that they have a “no return” policy on wine only to find out upon pushing that the initial point of contact is simply ignorant of what the policies truly are because the issue rarely comes up.

Wineries/Mailing lists: I have not yet had a problem through this route but would email or call to let them know about the problem.

Other online purchases: I will usually call to find out how each handles the situation and act accordingly. Last month, for the first time, I was asked to mail back an opened, corked wine for verification before a replacement was sent. They sent a prepaid label for the return and paid for shipping for the replacement. Excellent service all around.

That said, I’ve had maybe a dozen tainted bottles in as many years.

[Marc_Frontario]

If its a fairly recent purchase, probably 90% of the time I will return…older wines, much less and it also depends on the cost…if it was not too crazy expensive then most likely I will eat it.

[Kevin_Kitagawa]

Assuming the winery is in the same country (and shipping it, etc, is possible), is there a reason people don’t just call up the winery directly? Regardless of age, corked is corked from the winery…Whether you have a receipt or not, it was from there…they’ve also made their margin on it already.

Imported wines wouldn’t fall under this (not easily anyways).

If you have a receipt (who keeps those anyways? although I suppose it would be easy to scan it all…but who would want to track that?) then the retailer is probably the easiest way to go…but otherwise, I think most wineries are happy to ship out a replacement…might not be the same vintage but they generally recognize this as their issue from what I’ve seen…

[Brian_Tuite]

I’m in the 25-50 camp. I buy a lot direct and live close so it’s easy. I usually do not request a replacement but the winery offers when they read a tasting note. I’ve poured plenty down the drain. Usually depends on how much I paid for it as to whether I even bother.

[larry_schaffer]

@Brian Loring

It shouldn’t matter how old the wine is, or where the wine was purchased - the winery should replace the wine or provide a full refund to the consumer. Granted, it may not be possible to replace the exact wine, but something suitable (maybe current vintage) should be offered.

The winery chose to use a product (cork) that has a known (and expected) failure rate. The distributor or retailer all acted in good faith that the product was sound, so they shouldn’t lose out on their time and money. The winery is ultimately responsible.

I get why most people don’t go to the effort to report or return corked wines - I’m the same way. But all of us who don’t are part of the problem. Right now, most wineries feel immune from TCA issues, because they rarely get any feedback. But if they did hear about all their corked wines, I bet things would change for the better quickly.

+1000

Heck, you guys almost want to make me switch to corks cuz if you aren’t going to return any that have TCA, my risk is heavily reduced AND I can choose to use cheaper corks

Cheers!

[Peter_Rosback]

Rick,

Wines with TCA-ridden corks get “corked” overnight - it takes little time at all. Wineries that test cork samples use a neutral smelling alcohol (TCA “likes” alcohol and dislikes water) overnight.

I’ve heard an extension of Brian Loring’s (very apt) comments: someone once said that if all corked wines were returned for credit to the responsible wineries, that wineries would soon stop using cork. (I don’t believe that.) Did I say responsible? Why don’t we return the bottles for full credit to cork suppliers who are (obviously) responsible for the defective product in the first place?

Peter Rosback

Sineann

[Andrew_L]

I usually send a note to the retailer that the bottle was corked. Some retailers will do something, and others will not. As such, I shop more with the former, even if it means paying a bit above market.

Never had a corked wine direct from a producer.

[Lee_Short]

I said 5% to 25%; I’d guess the real number is about 10%. And that’s mostly daily drinker type of wine, because other wine tends to sit in the cellar for a while – long-cellared wines I have only ever returned to a store where I was a regular local customer.

But I did seriously think about returning a 1954 CVNE Gran Riserva that I opened last fall after cellaring it for about 5 years. It was painful to find that one corked.

[larry_schaffer]

@Lee Short

I said 5% to 25%; I’d guess the real number is about 10%. And that’s mostly daily drinker type of wine, because other wine tends to sit in the cellar for a while – long-cellared wines I have only ever returned to a store where I was a regular local customer.

But I did seriously think about returning a 1954 CVNE Gran Riserva that I opened last fall after cellaring it for about 5 years. It was painful to find that one corked.

To me, this is EXACTLY the type of wine you return for credit or a replacement bottle. That wine was corked when it was bottled many moons ago, and was already corked when you took possession of it. Without consumers taking action, as others have said above, there’s no reason that the ‘Russian roulette’ that is TCA won’t continue to rear its ugly head again and again and again . . .

Cheers.

[Art_K_u_o]

@Mark Y

@Charlie Fu

@Chris Seiber

We should all become wine retailers, there is a built in client base that accepts the fact that they can get sold a defective product and be okay with not asking for money back.

I have emailed a retailer almost every single time I’ve had a corked wine (I say almost as I’m sure there are 1-2 times where i’ve forgotten to do so). Luckily that’s been less than 5 times where I’ve reached out to a retailer. But when wines are in the three digits, you should want to do something about it. I’ve always kept the cork bottled and always offered to ship/return it to them. Only once have I been told no refund/credit/replacement and that is one retailer I’ve never purchased from again.

It should be the cost of doing business. Supermarkets typically don’t make the goods they sell, but you can still return it to them. Best Buy doesn’t make the electronics they sell, but you can return it to them.

Is this true no matter how long ago you bought the wine? I realize that wines don’t become corked with age or because of storage conditions, but I think many of us feel less confident about asking for a refund on a wine purchased long ago.

Also, do you keep track of receipts? I guess with online purchases, there is usually a record built into your order history on the site, but if you buy in person, do you keep track of the physical receipt? In either case, do they ask you for the receipt or just take your word that you bought it there?

Thanks.

Coincidentally, they were all online purchases (I’d say 95% of all my purchases are online with receipts) and were within relatively short spans of purchase. But like you said, a corked wine is a corked wine from the get go. I always offer to send them the bottle in exchange for a refund, which I think might be a big difference between just telling a place “i want a refund” and not giving them anything back to see. Just like with all other retailers, gotta give them back the flawed item.

Pretty much in full agreement with Charlie here…
In fact in most retail envionments, one can return just for not wanting/liking the product anymore within X number of days…

In your financials, there’s a sales return reserve booked against Revenue for just that reason… THAT is the cost of doing business.
“cost of doing business” shouldn’t be borne by the customer… b/c buying something isn’t a business… making/marketing/selling something IS.

Just my opinion… i’m sure folks on the other side of the table (ITBers) would disagree

+1

[Peter_Chiu]

@Terry H a r r i s

Retail, never returned.

Restaurant, always.

I am lucky to live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

SAQ refund any corked bottle as long as you presented them the receipt regardless when you purchased them. SAQ believes if the bottles were corked, they were corked from the beginning or shortly after the corks were put into the bottles.

Sadly this policy does not apply to premox bottles…

[Shannon_Perdue]

What Brian Loring said

It shouldn’t matter how old the wine is, or where the wine was purchased - the winery should replace the wine or provide a full refund to the consumer. Granted, it may not be possible to replace the exact wine, but something suitable (maybe current vintage) should be offered.

The winery chose to use a product (cork) that has a known (and expected) failure rate. The distributor or retailer all acted in good faith that the product was sound, so they shouldn’t lose out on their time and money. The winery is ultimately responsible.

Yes but the supply chain has to bear some costs especially with imports. Spoiled wine (TCA or other) is like spoiled meat or otherwise defective product. Retail or restaurant I return most spoiled bottles unless there is some question or it’s not worth my gasoline/effort to return it.

I keep excellent purchase records plus have continuing purchases with retailers and wineries. In the rare event that a winery or retailer does not honor returns clearly they don’t want my business in the future.

*Thankfully the situation is rare but still runs 5-7% of all of my wines purchased. I’ve noticed that in the last few years the rate has decreased below 5% so maybe there has been progress - or just different wines purchased.

Correction to the above I just ran the numbers and overall it is 3% so there has been marked improvement.

[Dav_d_Parta_n]

@Shannon Perdue

In the rare event that a winery or retailer does not honor returns clearly they don’t want my business in the future.

[Peter_Chiu]

Thanks for the info - Shonnon …and it makes sense of what Brian said.

I was told SAQ will get the refund ( or money ) back from the producers.

[Brian_Gilp]

@Shannon Perdue

Thankfully the situation is rare but still runs 5-7% of all of my wines purchased. I’ve noticed that in the last few years the rate has decreased below 5% so maybe there has been progress - or just different wines purchased.

Wow. I have been at 2% for the past three years. Before that its harder to tell. If I was running 2X to 3X more in flawed bottles, my approach woudl probably change.

[Shannon_Perdue]

@Brian Gilp

@Shannon Perdue

Thankfully the situation is rare but still runs 5-7% of all of my wines purchased. I’ve noticed that in the last few years the rate has decreased below 5% so maybe there has been progress - or just different wines purchased.

Wow. I have been at 2% for the past three years. Before that its harder to tell. If I was running 2X to 3X more in flawed bottles, my approach woudl probably change.

Brian I just ran the numbers again and found that my overall all-time spoiled rate is now 3% in over 5000 bottles. I corrected my post above as there has been quite an improvement.

[T_Schaffler]

If I bought it direct or from a retailer, it goes back or an email is sent. From auction, you are kind of SOL but some wineries will accommodate you.

Currently waiting for replacements of a 02 Araujo Syrah and 07 mag of Pax Walker Vine Hill. Since both wineries are not deep in their prior vintages, they are sending current releases, which is fine.

I did have a retailer go out of business post purchase of some wines. One was corked and when I explained that to the winery, Bergstrom, they had no issues sending a replacement.

[Joe_Webb]

I voted 75-100%. For restaurants all the time for me for any off bottle, though it rarely happens to us.

For winery direct purchases which is the majority of my wine buying as I don’t get out enough to tasting rooms and many I buy from don’t have them anyways. I send an email and am happy to take current vintage replacement. Never had an issue.

For retail via the internet, K&L, Ketmit, etc. I also just send an email and have had no issues getting replacements of like or similar product.

If its a gift bottle, or one I have traded I don’t bother.

[johngonzales]

@N Lang

That said, I’ve had maybe a dozen tainted bottles in as many years.

Damned! You either don’t drink a lot or should be playing the lottery. Sticking to just corked wines (and there are more otherwise flawed bottles), I figure I’ve run into 200 in the last dozen years. Some are brought by others to events. I’ve never returned a corked bottle that I purchased. Obviously, I’d never accept a flawed wine at at a restaurant.

[Sean_Devaney]

I voted in the 50% to 75% range but it is closer to 50%. Most of my returns are on daily drinkers and are easy to return to the retailer where I bought the wine. Trader Joe’s is great for this and yes I’m a cheap SOB so don’t judge . I don’t buy wine online besides wine clubs so no experience there but living in the Bay Area I have no problem returning wine to local retailers. Remembering where the wine was purchased is an issue sometimes.

As been mentioned Ridge has been excellent on 3 returns in over 25+ years as an ATP member-all 3 were faulty corks (leakers) and not corked. I’ve only had a small hand full of corked Ridge wines and none that I’ve bought. I may have just jinxed myself.