Bottle shock / sickness

[angeleyes]

Has anyone experienced this before? I've purchased a case of recently bottled southern Rhone wine and they are rather flat and slightly acidic.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've definitely seen something that could be considered to be bottle shock. When I first tasted the Vesuvio Capella 2007 port shortly (weeks, if not days) after it had been bottled, I thought it to be thin, unbalanced and not particularly attractive. Over the next 6 months I was fortunate enough to have been able to try this same wine on three further occasions and each time the wine was deeper, more concentrated and more impressive. I don't know if this is a wine recovering from bottle shock or simply rapid but natural evolution of a young wine, but the difference was really remarkable.

[KillerB]

The only wines that should be drunk soon after bottlings are 'Nouveau' wines, which are made to slug - they are mostly junk anyway so no harm done. Most Rhone wines are pretty acidic anyway and having them all mashed up may mean that's all you get out of it.

I think of it like an extended pint of guinness - wait until it settles and it will be much better. I don't even like slugging decent wine after it's been transported but sometimes needs must.