We had our first bottle and thought it was excellent... So excellent that I wish I had purchased a case. More importantly, I got the thumbs up for more wine.woot purchases from my wife.

After the initial reports of sour grapes, I was concerned I had 12 bottles of cooking wine, but these recent reports are encouraging.

I wonder if they were suffering from bottle shock or something similar?

<---not a wine-drinker

What is bottle shock? Fatal or does time fix it?

Had one bottle shortly after it arrived, and while I wasn't paying close attention, I don't recall any sour notes.

Then had a second bottle two days ago, this time giving more attention to the wine. I certainly did not pick up anything sour. It came across a nice approachable offering - not stupendous but certainly fine for the price.

Had a couple of glasses left in the bottle. I stoppered the bottle with a Vacu-vin stopper but without evacuating the bottle, just to see how it would do essentially breathing in the bottle for a day. The second day it was starting to fall apart; a bit fruitier, but much of the depth had gone and the overall profile was flat and muddied.

bsevern wrote:After the initial reports of sour grapes, I was concerned I had 12 bottles of cooking wine, but these recent reports are encouraging.

I wonder if they were suffering from bottle shock or something similar?

It is generally a term used when wine has been shocked during the transfer/shipping process. Normally, you should let wine rest at least few days to settle back down. I know people who let wine rest several months.

There is chemical info but from what I understand it has to do with the oxygen being absorbed during the bottling process. It normally doesn't hinder (and in fact helps in the long run) but messes with taste and smell after being transfered and jostled about.

Hope that helps!

Jen

wendy98765 wrote:<---not a wine-drinker

What is bottle shock? Fatal or does time fix it?

Bottle shock is a myth that your wine won't be right after transport.I will be driving 4 hours over MI roads tomorrow to visit my sister with some wine.Probably hit a lot of bumps.The wine will be fine,unless it was bad already.

In the movie Bottle Shock,the wine was abused in old pick-up trucks and got better.

crabbyman22 wrote:Bottle shock is a myth that your wine won't be right after transport.I will be driving 4 hours over MI roads tomorrow to visit my sister with some wine.Probably hit a lot of bumps.The wine will be fine,unless it was bad already.

In the movie Bottle Shock,the wine was abused in old pick-up trucks and got better.

True bottle shock is neither a myth, nor does it have anything to do with transport.

It is the "shock" to the wine after being bottled, hence the name "bottle shock".

Here's about the best explanation I've seen on it:

Bottle shock is a reaction that occurs in wine immediately after corking, resulting from oxygen being absorbed during the bottling process. This small amount of oxygen introduced during this process will not usually oxidize or ruin your wine, but rather in the long run it helps during the maturation process.

Bottle Shock is characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors in the wine. The wine may have a flat flavor and aroma, and may sometimes be accompanied by an off-putting odor. Bottle Shock can also be caused if sulfur dioxide is added during the bottling process, also affecting the flavors and odor of the wine.

Bottle Shock is a temporary condition and your wine will need time to get over the shock of being transferred. The wine must rest and recover, working inside the bottle to reach a new equilibrium.

I have noticed changes in bottles of the same wine received during the same shipment during several weeks after receipt. The question would be what would happen during shipping and transportation to upset the equilibrium inside the bottle.

I'm skeptical that simple jostling or movement would have an effect. Wine isn't a polymerized material where movement might cause disruptions that need to be reestablished. And if there is equilibrium resuspending settled precipitates isn't going to result in any dissolution or added precipitation.

That seems to leave temperature changes during shipment as a likely explanation. A period of resting may be necessary to reverse changes that may have occurred as the temperature of the bottle changed during shipment. Of, if you are storing the bottle at a different temperature than it was stored prior to shipment, some time might be needed for the wine to equilibrate at the new temperature.

Thanks. So, how long is 'some time'?

noslensj wrote:I have noticed changes in bottles of the same wine received during the same shipment during several weeks after receipt. The question would be what would happen during shipping and transportation to upset the equilibrium inside the bottle.

I'm skeptical that simple jostling or movement would have an effect. Wine isn't a polymerized material where movement might cause disruptions that need to be reestablished. And if there is equilibrium resuspending settled precipitates isn't going to result in any dissolution or added precipitation.

That seems to leave temperature changes during shipment as a likely explanation. A period of resting may be necessary to reverse changes that may have occurred as the temperature of the bottle changed during shipment. Of, if you are storing the bottle at a different temperature than it was stored prior to shipment, some time might be needed for the wine to equilibrate at the new temperature.

I agree that there can be some noticeable changes in wine from shipment, but it's not the same phenomenon as bottle shock. I believe it has more to do with temperature changes and such. It's common practice for wineries to recommend cellaring a wine for up to a month after transit, so there's definitely something to it.

bsevern wrote:I agree that there can be some noticeable changes in wine from shipment, but it's not the same phenomenon as bottle shock.

Yep - that's why I didn't call it "bottle shock".

The overall principle is that stable storage conditions are best, and any change from norms is going to trigger changes that will require a period of time before the wine settles down again.

Just opened our first bottle (tried it fresh from the bottle, then again through a Vinturi), and everyone in the house agrees that it's very tasty. I'm an amateur, so maybe my opinion isn't as valuable as the average wine.woot forum regular, but I wish I went in for more.

this stuff is good. hard to classify any of the grapes for me, kind of all over the place but not loud. great qpr! very happy cause i gave my boss one...

After reading the initial mixed feedback when they first landed, I was hesitant to give any out for the holidays. It looks like they had bottle shock, but they're coming around as per the latest feedback.

I had a co-worker bug me for a bottle, so I gave him one and told him he should lay it down for 6-12 months, but he drank it over Christmas weekend. He said it was really good, I need to try a bottle myself

Agreed. We opened a bottle during Christmas dinner and it was good. In fact, I drank most the bottle myself rather than share! My palate wasn't exactly in tip-top shape, but I detected none of the off flavors previously noted in the wine right off the truck. Looking forward to opening the remainder over a long period of time to see how it changes!

I opened my first bottle tonight to enjoy with spicy mexican food, and wow it's terrific!

Not only is it terrific, but this should age nicely for at least a couple of years. I decanted for about 30 minutes, and noticed that it improved in the glass too.

I'm glad I picked up a case now

Corrado wrote:Okay, I've had a bottle now & I'm standing behind my previous claim. The "today" drinkability is better than I expected, better with a few hours of decanting, but I guarantee this rocks a year from now.

This turns out to be 100% correct. (And I blame Corrado.)

InFrom wrote:This turns out to be 100% correct. (And I blame Corrado.)

One of our favorite Woot Cellars wines. I wish they'd offer it again.

So I just opened my first bottle since offered over a year ago. I still don't love this wine, more back to my first post, not the last post I made. The flavors still remind me of sweet tarts. Artificial grape flavors and lots of acidity. I agree with one of the earlier posts stating there is no way to put the varietals together, it is just all over the place. I still have 3 bottles, let's see how they go in 2014, 2015, and 2016. My experience with Ty Caton wines is that they improve with LOTS of aging. I realize this is a table wine and not a typical Caton, but I'm going to wait these out even longer to see what fleshes out.