Written By:
Byron Carman, The Bay Area Critic
www.BayAreaCritic.com
We’ve all purchased a bottle of wine at a store, winery or restaurant and discovered that it just doesn’t taste right. Here are some various descriptions used to describe a bad bottle, otherwise called as a "corked" bottle:
“Tastes like vinegar”
“All I taste is the cork”
“Smells like old wet newspapers”
“Strong Chemical Smell”
“Smells like Old Moldy Wood”
I’ve experienced a couple of bad bottles in my lifetime. To be honest, I have stored them in the garage with the intent to take them back, however ended up procrastinating and pouring them down the drain.
Returning wine can be somewhat awkward, because bad bottles are rare and hardly anyone actually returns wine. If you have purchased a bottle through a retail outlet, the person you return it to may have no knowledge of wines or could even think you’re trying pull some sort of scam. For instance, one could buy an expensive bottle and then switch the contents with a far less expensive bottle and try to return it. Also, how many of us enjoy returning something? “PIC or Manager to Check Stand 3 Please” Urgh!
At a restaurant you have the opportunity to taste the bottle before a glass is poured, however what do you if you’ve purchased it through another avenue? Shamelessly, most of us just pour it down the drain because they either don’t know how to go about getting their money back or just don’t want to go through the hassle. Most will probably return a wine based a on certain price point.
The first rule to returning any wine…be nice about it! Contact the merchant or winery and say that you think there might be something wrong with the wine. If this is not possible, preserve the remaining wine, put the stopper or cork in the bottle and return the wine as soon as possible (within 48 hours if possible) to the merchant or the winery. Some wineries will even let you do this COD – each winery has different rules).
POINTERS AND ETTIQUETTE FOR RETURNING WINE
Be polite to the person you’re contacting about the bad bottle of wine.
Always keep your receipt for wine purchases until you’ve consumed the bottle(s)
Know your wines and their shelf life. (How long the can be kept)
Store all wines at proper temperatures and avoid keeping them in direct sunlight
Whenever possible, call ahead of time and speak an employee of the wine outlet or winery and explain your circumstances.
If you’re going to take a bottle back, don’t procrastinate.
If you break a cork in the bottle, it may be a challenge to get a refund. There are situations where a bottle has a bad cork is to blame, however it’s typically the opener’s fault. A wine merchant shouldn’t be responsible for such mistakes and most of us can remedy the problem with the use of a strainer of sorts.
You cannot return the bottle that you accidentally dropped in the parking lot unless you can prove the bag was faulty.
Always insist on tasting the wine before it’s poured. While it’s customary to allow the man if there’s a couple (man/woman) at the table, always let the person that has the highest knowledge of wines taste. Whoever tastes the wine should have a clean pallet.
If you’re at a party, politely tell the host or hostess that the wine doesn’t taste right and have them sample it.
Stick up for yourself and return any bottle that isn’t to your satisfaction. Anyone that tries to argue with you, politely fight back.
Byron, The Bay Area Critic
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