Is it okay for cork to look a bit "moldy"?
I just opened a bottle of "white red wine" (a Blanc de Noirs) from 2010. I must confess, I really don't know much about wine.
The cork looks weird to me, as if it was "moldy". It's a bit blueish-green around the edges. The wine smells pretty good, and the cork doesn't smell bad as well.
Is there anything to worry about?
The cork looks like this – click to enlarge:
Best Answer
The cork is normal. Over time, some of the pigment chemicals will embed themselves in the surface of the cork, starting by the edges. To my eye, the resulting zone has a bluish brown color. For a full red, the cork will turn a brown-purple, and eventually black. All of this should have no relationship to whether the wine is still good.
Some things to look for that will signal a bad bottle:
- A change in color of the wine (e.g., pale yellow turning deep gold)
- Indications that air entered the bottle or wine leaked out
- The smell or taste of wet cardboard in the wine
- An ammonia-like smell from the wine
- A vinegar taste
Hopefully none of these applied to your wine.
Pictures about "Is it okay for cork to look a bit "moldy"?"
What does mold on cork look like?
A wine that is exposed to air will slowly turn to vinegar. So, many argue that a moldy cork is a sign that your wine has been stored properly, and they keep an eye out for moldy corks. The mold on the cork may be white, furry, black, mildewy.Is there mold on my cork?
A little mold or mildew on the top of a cork isn't unusual. It could have been caused by humid cellar conditions, or by a drop of wine left on the cork before the capsule was put in place. I've noticed it especially on older bottles of wine, and for the most part, it's just on the surface or top section of the cork.How can you tell if a cork is bad?
A wine that's corked sometimes tastes just like it smells, but it can also taste very astringent. Spoilage reduces the fruit flavors in the wine, leaving behind more of the bitter or acrid flavors from the tannin and acid.Can cork spoil?
The shelf life in an unopened and sealed poly bag is conservatively 6 months. If the bag is opened you should use the wine corks with a couple of weeks.How to Remove Ugly Black Mould from Shower Silicone
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Yaroslav Shuraev, Brianna Amick, Alexey Demidov, Gustavo Fring