Any collector worth her/his salt will insist on shipping in appropriate weather conditions or have it held until they can ship safely so this segment is probably least affected because they also pay attention to provenance, plus serious collectors buy from reputable merchants. But this segment is affected more by corked wines because many of us open mature wines that used corks that came from an era of more TCA problems.

If you’re buying Château Pétrus in Las Vegas, you’re just asking for counterfeit wine but again, by the numbers, few will be affected by this accept for a handful of high-rollers. A few years ago I bought another case of older Château Cos d’Estournel from a source online, which to me was a great value, and a great wine. The bottles arrived with their familiar brick-colored labels but the vintage (1988) looked as though it was printed on the labels, in black ink no less, with a laser printer. I immediately called the retailer to inquire about this anomaly and the retailer seemed genuinely alarmed. All the while I’m thinking who in the world would counterfeit Cos at a $100 or so per bottle? Stranger things have happened in counterfeiting I suppose.

The retailer (who readily agreed to return my money and have me send the wine back, no questions) called the château and they verified that they would sometimes ship from their cellar, and they didn’t have labels for all vintages, so they printed them with the correct label and shipped them out. Up to the point that I actually put the wine in my mouth it was all intrigue, but when I actually tasted it, I knew it was exactly Cos because I had had a case before this one. Counterfeiting happens and I think those at the greatest risk are those buying trophy wines that are ‘too good of a deal’. As many have said before me: caveat emptor!

So in my experience: cooked, corked, counterfeit in that order.

David Boyer
classof1855.com

The importers there know very well how the last mile can kill wine as it sits on the dock waiting to be warehoused. Furthermore, retail conditions often further exacerbated the issue with the air conditioners being turned off at night.

It’s often said that wine is more “hearty” than most people think – I’m glad to see some research being done into this real issue.

“As someone who is about to start importing wines, I am amazed when I hear from other established distributors and importers that they will compromise their wines to save a few dollars a case in shipping costs. The more I read on the problem the more I confirm my choice to pay the extra cost to ensure that my wines make it to Chicago in as close to the condition that they left the winery in!”