Theory -- laid down or upright

[Peter Creasey]

At a topflight restaurant last evening, we were allowed a special exception so that we could bring in our own wine and pay corkage. My guest brought in...

Poderi Aldo Conterno Granbussia Barolo Riserva '90

The cork looked very moist from the get-go and indeed was soaked through and through. Unfortunately, there was no Durand or Ah So to be found so the cork came out in crumbs. Fortunately, though, the wine itself was spectacular.

As the wine steward was struggling with the cork, he remarked that in some circles the conventional wisdom that wine should be laid down is being questioned. The thought there is that with the wine stored standing up the cork is preserved and performs just fine as it is kept moist enough with the wine evaporation.

I wonder if this revised thinking (not storing wine on its side) is gaining qualified support!?!

. . . . Pete

 

[robert ames]

more question marks and exclamation points in the last sentence, please.

 

[Florida Jim]

I’d heard that, too.
It hasn’t altered the way I store my wines but I’d like to hear more.
And theory aside, that bottle is pretty wonderful.
Best, Jim

 

[Peter Creasey]

Jim, the Conterno was still singing. Dark no edge fade, elaborate mix of scents e.g. floral notes/black fruits/light tar/maybe some mint, pleasing complexity, smooth, no edges, velvety, quite full, again dark fruits, tannins in abeyance, lasted well throughout multiple courses, surely at its peak and not going anywhere. A joy! [E+]

And, yes, like you, my wine is staying near horizontal but I'm curious to hear opinions on the storing strategy.

. . . . . Pete

 

[Keith Levenberg]

Count me with the conventional wisdom. I performed an accidental "experiment" with some boxes left upright for a few years, resulting in dry, crumbly corks even on bottles that were not that old. A handful had started to fail and lose their seal - for the others, happy to report that putting them on their side re-hydrated them and eliminated the crumbles.

Screwcaps, glass tops, and, I believe, Diams can safely be stored upright, and won't fail for any of the other various reasons corks fail either, but it's important not to use them on wines meant to age because reasons.

 

[MarkS]

Well, Madeira should be stored upright, but that is a different beast.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

Keith forgot to mention canned wines, all the rage now. No Portuguese menace and perfect for stand-up people.

 

[Steve Guattery]

And there's this from 9.5 years ago.