Bottle conditions to avoid when buying at auction?

[Mike J. W.]

What bottle conditions do you avoid when buying port at auction? Elevated corks seem to be a no brainer, but what about things like a corroded capsule? Would you assume the wine is bad? Depressed corks? Is even slight signs of seepage something to avoid? I'm curious what more experienced buyers avoid or accept.

[Eric Menchen]

1. Fill level - Biggest concern probably, in particular if the fill is really low.
2. Protruding cork - Yes, a big warning in my book
3. Signs of seepage - Pretty concerning, but I'll still buy a multi-bottle lot if some of the bottles have this; also, if it's older than 1970, I might accept it on a single bottle, but I might look for something else to buy first. I also expect a good discount for the risk involved.
4. Depressed cork - Hmmm. Not a big issue, and less so on a magnum or 375.
5. Worn capsule - Not a big issue.
6. Label conditions - Generally ignore.

[Mike J. W.]

Eric,

Thanks for the reply. A few follow up questions if you don't mind. Where would you generally draw the line at fill level? Shoulder? Does something lower than that mean anything as far as the quality of the remaining Port?

You said a worn capsule wouldn't be a big concern, but I've seen auctions with cracked capsules and corroded capsules. Could either of those have an impact on the Port?

Thanks again.

[Andy Velebil]

For me, I think Eric nailed it. My biggest are fill level, signs of seepage, and if there is a protruding cork causing a stretched capsule.

Again, for me...where I draw the line at fill level wise varies on the bottle and price. So there is no set in stone gauge for me. However, If it's a really old bottle I'm willing to tolerate a slightly lower fill, again if the price reflects that condition. For a newer bottle that I will be cellaring for perhaps a decade or more then I won't buy regardless of the price if the fill level is off. A huge red flag that storage has been bad at some point in its short life.

Everyone is different as to what they accept so I love reading others opinions on this. IMO, there is no wrong answer per se, it's what risk you're willing to take for the price paid.

[Eric Ifune]

Older wine I'd expect to have a lower fill. On a wine 50+ years in bottle, I'd be suspicious if the fill was still in the neck.
A good damp cellar will cause capsules to corrode or labels to fail.

[Moses Botbol]

I would draw the line at mid shoulder unless it's a great price and you feel like rolling the dice.

[Glenn E.]

Eric's list is pretty much spot on, and in that order.

To answer the follow ups,

Fill level really does depend on the bottle as others have said. I don't generally have a problem with "over filled" bottles, though, as I've had 50+ year old bottles with good fill levels. If the bottle had a superb cork and has been stored well, it really should still be into the neck even after 50 years. Of course most corks aren't superb, so it's much more normal to get base neck or top shoulder fills on 50-year old bottles. Mid shoulder is getting pretty iffy... that's an awful lot of air in the bottle (and correspondingly missing Port!).

A worn capsule is fine by me, but a damaged capsule isn't unless it's clear that the cork is still in good shape.

Dirty bottles and/or torn/damaged labels are really a non-issue provided the bottle can still be identified.

[Tom Archer]

On a wine 50+ years in bottle, I'd be suspicious if the fill was still in the neck.

Out of the dozen bottles in a typical old case of VP that has remained unopened for 50 years, there are usually one or two with significant level loss and an equal number with more modest signs of ullage or seepage, but on average you will find around eight bottles that still have a level in neck.

Obviously some cases are better than others and some bottlings had poor original fills - a good example being OB W63. When worm has got into an old case, as frequently happens, it has often entered some corks as well - sometimes with dire consequences.

Raised corks are not generally an issue with port. On the one hand, bottles that I've seen which were known to been exposed to high temperatures often show signs of seepage, but the cork stays in situ - I suspect the shape of neck prevents the sort of movement sometimes seen on claret corks. When you do see a raised port cork it is almost invariably because the cork was not fully driven home in the first instance, and usually because the cork put up a fight on the bottling line. These bottles often have a superior seal to their compatriots.