Cork Homepage

Question: Does old wine (like over 50 years old) actually stay good..doesn't the cork go bad over time?

(Posted by: Sven Bgorti on 2010-04-16 13:57:31)

Ive seen corks on five year old bottles of wine go bad...i dont understnd how a cork can stay intact for several decades...

Posted by: Jatznic on 2010-04-16, 14:06:04

If the wine isn't properly stored then yes, the cork will dry out. Anytime someone buys a wine with the intention of storing it, they need to do so correctly. Ever wonder why a wine rack is designed to store bottles on thier side? Storing a bottle on it's side keeps the wine inside up against the cork. This keeps the cork moist, and prevents it from drying out. If it does dry out, the oxygen can get to the wine, and that will ruin it over time. Sometimes a mold will grow on the cork, and this will get into the wine. Given the type of wine, and proper storing at the correct temperatures, fine wines can keep for may years.

Posted by: miraracar on 2010-04-17, 17:21:54

Really old wine can still be good if it meets certain conditions for the wine to preserve itself for so long. The standard practice for wine that is very old is to have it stored at the actual winery where it was produced so that it maintains perfect storing conditions at all times. The added benefit is that they winery has machinery that can change the cork every so many years without exposing the wine in the bottle to oxygen. As you assume correctly corks do go bad and must be changed to keep the wine from going bad if it is meant to age for a really long time.