1960 Dow w/out capsule, +seepage--keep?

[fcarrano]

Hi all--as they say, long-time listener, first-time caller. I have started to collect some vintage port, and most recently received a shipment from Wineconsigners.com. One of the bottles is a 1960 Dow. The fill line looks to be the low neck, maybe very high shoulder. There is no capsule on the bottle, and obvious seepage from the cork, although the cork looks intact. I spoke with the folks I bought the bottle from, and they feel that it should not be of any real concern in terms of quality. They did offer, if I wanted to ship it back, to replace the bottle (although whether any of their other 1960 Dow's have capsules I do not know).

My question is whether, in your experience, this seepage should prompt me to return the bottle, and if not, should I try to re-wax the top? And if so, is that something I could do myself? (I have some wax bricks used to rind homemade cheese)

Thanks in advance,

Frank

[g-man]

There are more knowledgeable folks on the forums than I, but for me, any signs of seepage means immediate consumption or a bottle I would stay away from unless it was marked down enough for me to take a punt.

But for a 1960 dow, the low neck fill looks to be very good.

[jdaw1]

Is the seepage from this bottle, or had it dripped from a bottle higher in the rack?

[fcarrano]

The seepage is definitely from the bottle itself. I paid $150 for the 1960 Dow.

Frank

[benread]

Frank,

I have had about 4 bottles of this over the last 20 years courtesy of my Grandfather laying down 12 bottles for me at birth. My father accounted for the balance!

I have no specific notes of the cork condition other than a general recollection that all were somewhat wet from seepage. None of the bottles disappointed me at the time and many were declared by friends (who do not consume quite as much port I must admit) as the best glass they had ever enjoyed.

If you do keep and open it, I would love to know what you think. I have one bottle remaining, which will probably see its death bed in 2010 when I turn 40 and another member of this forum turns 50!

[uncle tom]

Frank,

When bottles get this old, the corks become weak and can sometimes leak a little if the temperature is a bit variable when they are being transported - they don't need to get badly cooked for this to happen.

The first time you see this it is easy to assume that the cork is fatally compromised - and sometimes it is.. - but as often there is no further problem after the bottle has been tucked away in a nice temperature stable cellar. You can also come across bottles that appear to have seeped, but have actually been in a rack below another bottle that has seeped onto it..

If i take delivery of such a bottle, I clean the seepage off and put the bottle in a rack where I can keep an eye on it for a few days. If there's any further seepage I either drink the bottle or re-cork it.

If the bottle has lost its capsule then it is a good idea to rewax it. You will need a source of bottle wax, but if that's difficult, there are people on eBay who sell sealing wax, which should work fine.

I melt the wax in an enamel camping mug, which I heat by putting half an inch of cooking oil in a saucepan, and then putting the mug in the saucepan. I find the wax melts much quicker if you cover the top of the mug with a paper towel BTW.

Be careful not to overheat the wax, or heat it too quickly - it is possible for the wax at the bottom of the mug to boil before the top has melted, which is why I use the saucepan of oil to spread the heat.

Practice waxing the necks of cheap wine bottles a few times to get the hang of things - you need to learn how to spin the bottle after it comes out of the wax, otherwise it will drip everywhere..!

Have fun!

Tom