What was your worst wine or wine-related purchase?

[Andy Velebil]

I saw someone else bring this up and immediate knew what mine was...a Laguiole corkscrew.

I tried it once on a Port cork and it was a horrible failure. Tried it a second time thinking I did something wrong. Nope, wasn't me. It may look great and may work good on a young large dry wine cork, but for an older small diameter Port cork it just sucks. It has now sat in my wine drawer for about 7-8 years and has never been touched since that second use. A total waste of money. I should sell it...anyone want to buy it?

What was your worst purchase?

[Bradley Bogdan]

I saw someone else bring this up and immediate knew what mine was...a Laguiole corkscrew.

I tried it once on a Port cork and it was a horrible failure. Tried it a second time thinking I did something wrong. Nope, wasn't me. It may look great and may work good on a young large dry wine cork, but for an older small diameter Port cork it just sucks. It has now sat in my wine drawer for about 7-8 years and has never been touched since that second use. A total waste of money. I should sell it...anyone want to buy it?

What was your worst purchase?

Haha depends what you want to sell it for.

I think mine is a toss up. The worst Port I ever bought (but was only about $15/bottle delivered) was half a dozen '88 Qta dos Murcas LBVs. I wasn't expecting much, and certainly didn't get much. At least with one bottle, after it sat out for a week enough of the VA blew off where it was on par with perhaps a basic tawny in enjoyment. Still have 3 more that I'll probably pull out for less discerning folk and hope no one notices.

Worst value has to be the $50/bottle delivered I paid for a case of '92 Warres SQVP I bought figuring that I could give my little brother a bottle on his 21st and then one a year for the next decade or so, as its his birth year. They're not bad, but in hindsight, I should have started hunting much earlier and found something better, as they're just not that enjoyable. He didn't like it much either, haha.


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[John M.]

2005 Rodney Strong's A True Gentleman's Port. Bought two bottles in 2009 for $33 each. Sour and tart and too in your face. 5+ years on and I still cringe at the thought. I gave the second away with full disclosure.

[Glenn E.]

I saw someone else bring this up and immediate knew what mine was...a Laguiole corkscrew.

My wife loves her Laguiole! I think her's is called the Buffalo or something like that. I've used it on Port bottles as well, but it does seem like a 2-stage "waiter's friend" is better for Port. Or a Durand.

I guess my worst purchase would have to be a now-infamous 1985 Hooper's VP. Yes, THAT Hooper's. Of course I couldn't have known it was corked at the time...

Setting aside bad bottles, I guess it would have to be one of a couple of 6-packs. I have both 1994 Broadbent and 1997 Niepoort that I purchased early on in my Port drinking history, and in retrospect overpaid for both. The Broadbent just isn't that great of a Port, and the Niepoort tends to be riddled with VA even for me. And I'm pretty tolerant of VA. At the price I paid, I could have easily had 1994 Vesuvio instead... so, yeah, not great purchases!

[Matt K]

I have and love my Laguiole - from Chateau Laguiole. There's a bunch of people making corkscrews being sold as Laguioles.
That said, I typically only use it for bottles <20 years of age. Everything else is straight to the Durand.

Most of my worst purchases have been premoxed white burgundy. It's so frustrating!

[Moses Botbol]

I guess my worst purchase would have to be a now-infamous 1985 Hooper's VP. Yes, THAT Hooper's. Of course I couldn't have known it was corked at the time...

That is among my worst wine purchases as well. I've bought plenty of older wine that was oxidized and/or over-the-hill. Worst was a case of '74 Brolio Chianti that looked fine and was a 20 sec pop and pour at best... I left like 7 intact bottles on the street corner in a box for whomever wanted it.

[Roger L.]

I have 2 entries for this...

1) A bottle of Graham's 1985 VP.
This was a bad purchase because...
a) It made me realise, sadly, that I wasn't going to even get close to living long enough to truly appreciate my stash of 2011s
b) It made me realise that my taste for "decent" VP exceeded my (wife's) Port budget.

2) A bottle or Pêra-Manca 2008
Most expensive wine I've ever bought - I paid 190 euros in a restaurant (which, as far as I can tell, isn't a bad price) - not worth, to my taste anyway, even a third of that price - my cellar is full of 15, 20, 25, 30 euros wines just as good.
But I view this one as positive - I had to try "the good stuff" once (as I did with the Port, with a different result) - and now I know the answer and need not do it again.

[Allan Engelsted Laurents]

More than 100 old (and to old whitewines) from Germany, and had to be delivered from Germany....

They where very cheep....But the taste even cheeper.

10 bottles where from 1994, and they where drinkable.

Never buy old whites.....

[Bradley Bogdan]

Holy smokes, Allen, that's a big lot. I've bought aged whites (virtually all Riesling or Sauturnes) and have had many successes. If you have the opportunity to try one that should age well and has been kept well, I'd give it another try.


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[Allan Engelsted Laurents]

I tell You, Bradley. The wines where worse than realy bad....

My girlfriend likes German wines, But I guess they had been very badly stored.

Back on the Horse again...

[Mahmoud Ali]

But I guess they had been very badly stored.

Allan, maybe if they were stored on their sides...............Mahmoud.

[Moses Botbol]

I got a bunch of older German wines (1970's) with mixed success. At least it wasn't the German wines from the 1930's my friend had with 3 Reich German eagles on the label. Was a little weird drinking them, even though they showed pretty well...

[Bradley Bogdan]

I got a bunch of older German wines (1970's) with mixed success. At least it wasn't the German wines from the 1930's my friend had with 3 Reich German eagles on the label. Was a little weird drinking them, even though they showed pretty well...

I do wonder how many of the bottles that were "liberated" by the allies from the great hoards of (mostly stolen) great bottles during the waning days of the war were appreciated on any level other than "it's wet and alcoholic! Huzzah!". I bet there were some wonderful Ports, Rieslings and Bordeaux to be had.


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[Andy Velebil]

I got a bunch of older German wines (1970's) with mixed success. At least it wasn't the German wines from the 1930's my friend had with 3 Reich German eagles on the label. Was a little weird drinking them, even though they showed pretty well...

I do wonder how many of the bottles that were "liberated" by the allies from the great hoards of (mostly stolen) great bottles during the waning days of the war were appreciated on any level other than "it's wet and alcoholic! Huzzah!". I bet there were some wonderful Ports, Rieslings and Bordeaux to be had.

Don't forget the bubbly as well. IIRC, the mini-series Band of Brothers details Easy Company when they (supposedly, as there is some dispute) were the first to locate Hitler's huge stash of tens of thousands of stolen wine bottles in the Alps, and got really drunk after.