It is the last night of the charter. You have decanted a 1,400-euro Bordeaux the owner has been saving, poured him a taste, and the glass smells of wet cardboard and damp cellar. He is mid-anecdote, the table is watching, and you have perhaps four seconds to decide what to say.
Judging readiness, and decanting
Readiness is a judgement, not a date. Ask: is there still primary fruit? Have the tannins resolved? Is the acidity holding the wine up, or is the fruit falling away from it and leaving a hollow, drying finish? A wine that is fruit-driven, high-acid and firmly tannic is telling you it has time in hand. A wine that is pale-rimmed, savoury, softened and drying is telling you to pour it tonight.
Decanting does two different jobs, and you should know which one you are doing:
- To separate from sediment — old, mature, fragile wines and Vintage Port. Stand the bottle upright for hours, pour slowly, in one movement, and stop at the sediment. Aeration here is a risk, not a benefit: a fragile old wine can fade within twenty minutes.
- To aerate — young, tannic, reductive wines, which genuinely open with air and a little splashing.
Faults, and the honest conversation
| Fault | What you find | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Cork taint (TCA) | Wet cardboard, damp cellar, muted fruit | A cork or cellar contaminant; not the winemaker's error, and not detectable before opening |
| Oxidation | Browned, flat, sherry-like in a wine that should be fresh | Air ingress or a failed closure |
| Heat damage | Cooked, stewed, flat; often a pushed cork | Storage |
| Volatile acidity | Nail varnish, vinegar | Microbial spoilage |
| Reduction | Struck match, drains, rubber | Lack of oxygen; often blows off with air |
The corked bottle is a professional test, not a disaster. Say it immediately, quietly and plainly: the wine is corked, it is a fault in the cork and no reflection on his choice, you are sorry, and here is what you would like to do. Never argue, never hint that the guest cannot tell, and never pour on and hope. Then act: fetch the alternative you have already identified, retain the bottle, cork and any receipt, and pursue the merchant afterwards. Reputable merchants credit corked bottles, including four-figure ones, and your cellar log and purchase record are what make that claim possible.
Pairing a demanding menu
Work from structure, not from colour. Match weight to weight; use acid to cut fat and salt; use sweetness to tame chilli; keep tannin away from chilli, oily fish and egg; let umami in mushroom, aged cheese and dashi be tamed by fruit and a little sweetness rather than by tannin. Salt is the great friend of acidity and of bubbles.
Onboard Notes
Two disciplines that outlast this course. Taste and spit when you assess, and drink responsibly at all times; you are working.
And be clear about what this course is. xplor is not a WSET Approved Programme Provider and is not affiliated with WSET. No WSET qualification, examination or certificate is awarded here, and nothing in this course counts toward one. This is preparatory study only. Should you separately wish to pursue the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines, it must be studied and examined through a WSET Approved Programme Provider. The structured tasting approach taught here is our own equivalent, written in our own words, and is not the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting.