Don't Feel Bad for Returning Bad Wine.

Ever opened a bottle of wine and it was AWFUL? I'm not talking about a variety or year that you didn't particularly like, but those rare instances when you get a vinegary, off-smelling or brownish white. If you do, chances are that the wine has just gone bad. The most surprising thing about this for a lot people I know - that you can and absolutely should take it back to where you bought it.

Everyone in the industry knows that this happens occasionally. Wine isn't an exact science, and sometimes a cork goes bad and it ruins a bottle. There's a great article on 77Square.com today that discusses why you should not feel bad about returning a bottle. From the article:

"The wine shop will usually exchange it and get credit from their suppliers. "Some people are surprised they can bring it back," said Bruce Frisch, co-owner of Le Cork Wine & Spirits in Mount Horeb. "I never have a problem with that. It's not their fault the wine is bad, it's not the winery's fault, it's not the distributor's fault, it's not my fault." Usually the fault is in the cork. If a wine is "corked," that means the cork has become contaminated with trichloroanisole (TCA), although the contamination can come from barrels or wood within a cellar, too. TCA doesn't pose a health risk but creates a musty, moldy smell that is obvious once a wine buyer has experienced it."