DYKWIA - The 2016 Thread
Jan 11, 2016, 8:38 am
#31
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Relax! It's vanishingly unlikely it was corked. I was trained to sommelier standard on a course paid for by a UK supermarket I was a wine advisor for. I would often find customers returning the last dregs of wine saying they were corked. On only one occasion was it true. It is a truly horrid smell when it is advanced and even an ignormaous would know.
Wear a pair of socks for a week then leave it the rain for another week and then dry it on a radiator. You'll get the idea. I kept that bottle to show customers what real corked wine is.
I was sent on the course because of my interest in wine and the customer service desks incapability of dealing with returned alcohol. They had a 3 litre bottle of Smirnoff returned as faulty. It had been refilled with tap water complete with floating bits. Not only did they get Ł60 for the 'faulty' bottle, but a review of the CCTV tapes revealed they had stolen it (and 3 other bottles) in the first place. Had to admire them for sheer cheek.
Wear a pair of socks for a week then leave it the rain for another week and then dry it on a radiator. You'll get the idea. I kept that bottle to show customers what real corked wine is.
I was sent on the course because of my interest in wine and the customer service desks incapability of dealing with returned alcohol. They had a 3 litre bottle of Smirnoff returned as faulty. It had been refilled with tap water complete with floating bits. Not only did they get Ł60 for the 'faulty' bottle, but a review of the CCTV tapes revealed they had stolen it (and 3 other bottles) in the first place. Had to admire them for sheer cheek.
Jan 11, 2016, 8:39 am
#32
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I then spent the next 10/15 minutes sipping my potentially corked wine wondering whether it actually was corked and feeling like a bit of a plonker- this is the problem when you are an easily pleased simpleton like me, you could serve me ASDA value paint stripper from Belarus and pass it off as premium wine and I wouldn't be any the wiser 
BUt it does remind me of my own sort of DYKWIA story.
My boss was sounding off about wine, including in passing that he considered himself a ABC person (anything but Chardonnay).
Now while I know little about wine I do know what some rather nice wines are made with Chardonnay grapes. So I innocently asked him what he thought of Chablis.
We were treated then to a 5 minute monologue of how good it was, and which were the most expensive etc, which he had tried. It was rather spoiled when I then asked what sort of grapes went into Chablis...
Jan 11, 2016, 8:52 am
#33
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Hahaha I love this thread. I have quite a few funny stories from over the years but am always worried that it might be someone on here. I am still waiting for the day when I hear someone actually say the famous words.
For 2016 I shall regale you with a personal DYKWIA at my own expense. Coming back from DFW a few days ago (sat upstairs) I requested a white wine only to be told that "there were three" (fair enough) and having been told what the choices were I requested the Chardonnay. I was then given a glass to taste and having done so confirmed to the CC that I thought it was fine, to which she raises an eyebrow and says "oh the gentleman across the aisle thinks it's corked". I then spent the next 10/15 minutes sipping my potentially corked wine wondering whether it actually was corked and feeling like a bit of a plonker- this is the problem when you are an easily pleased simpleton like me, you could serve me ASDA value paint stripper from Belarus and pass it off as premium wine and I wouldn't be any the wiser
For 2016 I shall regale you with a personal DYKWIA at my own expense. Coming back from DFW a few days ago (sat upstairs) I requested a white wine only to be told that "there were three" (fair enough) and having been told what the choices were I requested the Chardonnay. I was then given a glass to taste and having done so confirmed to the CC that I thought it was fine, to which she raises an eyebrow and says "oh the gentleman across the aisle thinks it's corked". I then spent the next 10/15 minutes sipping my potentially corked wine wondering whether it actually was corked and feeling like a bit of a plonker- this is the problem when you are an easily pleased simpleton like me, you could serve me ASDA value paint stripper from Belarus and pass it off as premium wine and I wouldn't be any the wiser
Jan 11, 2016, 9:09 am
#34
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Jan 11, 2016, 9:31 am
#35
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 390
It can still be 'corked' if it's a screw top...
Jan 11, 2016, 9:51 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2010
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Jan 11, 2016, 10:39 am
#38
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 17
Relax! It's vanishingly unlikely it was corked. I was trained to sommelier standard on a course paid for by a UK supermarket I was a wine advisor for. I would often find customers returning the last dregs of wine saying they were corked. On only one occasion was it true. It is a truly horrid smell when it is advanced and even an ignormaous would know.
Wear a pair of socks for a week then leave it the rain for another week and then dry it on a radiator. You'll get the idea. I kept that bottle to show customers what real corked wine is.
Wear a pair of socks for a week then leave it the rain for another week and then dry it on a radiator. You'll get the idea. I kept that bottle to show customers what real corked wine is.
* TCA = trichloroanisole, the chemical which causes a wine to be corked.
Jan 11, 2016, 11:51 am
#39
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People's sensitivity to TCA* does vary remarkably. Low levels of TCA might be undetectable for some people whilst for others it can completely ruin a wine. And it's not really related to how much of a wine geek you are either; some people can smell it in really low concentrations and others can't.
Even here, individuals vary enormously in their sensitivity to the different compounds responsible for them. Some wine professionals, for example, are unable to pick out which wines are corked, or spoilt by cork taint, because they are insensitive to trichloroanisole, or TCA, the compound responsible.
Jan 11, 2016, 2:20 pm
#40
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Jan 11, 2016, 10:04 pm
#41
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Jan 12, 2016, 12:38 am
#42
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: MAN
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People's sensitivity to TCA* does vary remarkably. Low levels of TCA might be undetectable for some people whilst for others it can completely ruin a wine. And it's not really related to how much of a wine geek you are either; some people can smell it in really low concentrations and others can't.
* TCA = trichloroanisole, the chemical which causes a wine to be corked.
* TCA = trichloroanisole, the chemical which causes a wine to be corked.
Jan 12, 2016, 10:37 am
#43
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There are a number of things that could have gone wrong with a wine. And there are different levels of 'corked'. I've had corked wines that just seemed a bit off, when another bottle in the same case were great. Other corked wines were completely bad and undrinkable. Another thing that can go wrong is that the wine can have a metallic taste. I've sent bottles back for that, generally with a comment like: "Are you sure this wine is supposed to taste like this"?
In my experience though, I have have probably been lucky and haven't come across that many bad wines. But any wine could be corked.
In my experience though, I have have probably been lucky and haven't come across that many bad wines. But any wine could be corked.
Jan 31, 2016, 6:36 pm
#44
Join Date: Oct 2012
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Was checking in this morning for a CX flight at HKG in town check in. There were 3 counters open: 1xF ;1xJ ;1xY. There were pax being checked in at both J and F counters,but the Y counter was free.
I was behind a gentleman and when he approached the top of the queue,the agent from Y desk called him over,to which he replied:"I am a oneworld Emerald,I am entitled to First Class check in". The agent told him that she would happily check him in,as the other desks are busy processing other customers.He refused and kept waiting for the F desk to finish processing the other customer. I quickly approached the Y desk and I was done with check in before the F desk started processing him.
It would be OT,but the guy had BA Gold tags on his hand baggage.
I mean,why are some people happy to waste their time and the time of others,just to be able to check in at the F desk?
I was behind a gentleman and when he approached the top of the queue,the agent from Y desk called him over,to which he replied:"I am a oneworld Emerald,I am entitled to First Class check in". The agent told him that she would happily check him in,as the other desks are busy processing other customers.He refused and kept waiting for the F desk to finish processing the other customer. I quickly approached the Y desk and I was done with check in before the F desk started processing him.
It would be OT,but the guy had BA Gold tags on his hand baggage.
I mean,why are some people happy to waste their time and the time of others,just to be able to check in at the F desk?
Jan 31, 2016, 6:54 pm
#45
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