Wine fault
A crumbling or broken cork
A cork that breaks apart during opening. Annoying, and — despite the name — nothing to do with a wine being "corked".
Yes. Cork is bark, and a few fragments floating in the glass are unpleasant to drink around rather than anything to worry about. Fish them out or strain the wine.
What you notice
Appearance
- Pieces of cork floating in the wine
- The cork broke or crumbled while being pulled
What it is
This is included because it is one of the commonest reasons people think a wine is "corked", and it is not the same thing at all. Cork taint is a chemical contamination; a crumbling cork is a mechanical nuisance.
Floating cork fragments do not affect the taste of the wine in any way.
It does slightly raise the odds that the seal had been compromised, so it is worth checking whether the wine also smells oxidised.
What causes it
- An old or dried-out cork losing elasticity.
- Bottles stored upright for years, so the cork never stayed wet.
- A poor-quality cork, or an unlucky one.
Can I fix it?
Nothing to fix
Yes, easily — and the cork condition on its own says nothing about the wine.
What you can do
- Strain the wine through a fine sieve or coffee filter, or simply fish the pieces out.
- For a very old cork, a two-pronged "Ah-So" opener grips the sides rather than piercing the middle and is far more likely to get it out intact.
What does not work
Published because a reader holding a spoiled bottle has usually already been told to try one of these. Correcting the specific wrong advice is more use than stating the right answer beside it in silence.
- Pushing the cork into the bottle
- Works, and forces wine up past the crumbling cork and out over the neck. A two-pronged opener that grips the sides is the better answer, and a sieve deals with whatever gets through.
Is it safe to drink?
Not a safety problem
Unpleasant, not harmful. You can drink it; you may not want to.
Yes. Cork is bark, and a few fragments floating in the glass are unpleasant to drink around rather than anything to worry about. Fish them out or strain the wine.
Can I take it back?
Not usually — unless the wine itself also tastes oxidised, in which case the seal had failed.
Sources
Sources consulted
Not sure this is it? Work through the troubleshooter →