How to bluff it in front of a wine snob

Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago assesses a wine at a Penfolds re-corking clinic. Source: Supplied

I'M standing in a large room inside Brisbane's Hilton Hotel and a small glass of Penfolds 1987 St Henri Shiraz is being poured in front of me.

I'm a few metres away from the glass, but the wine's velvety, sweet aroma has already burst from the bottle and filled the air. I've never smelt anything so complex and I blink in shock.

My first instinct is to grab that glass and down it immediately. But as my hand reaches out, a firm, calm voice stops me before I get too close.

"We wait before tasting," Peter Gago, the chief winemaker for Penfolds, explains in his crisp, clipped, voice. I feel like a child being chastised for reaching for the chip bowl.

"Try not to go to [the wine] straight away," Mr Gago says. He explains that letting the wine sit for a minute allows it to breathe and the flavours settle. "You don't want to create an incorrect first impression."

And fair enough — this bottle of wine hasn't been opened in 27 years, and we're about to see if it's any good.

Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago. Source: Supplied

Mr Gago, a genial man who has worked with Penfolds for 25 years, will taste the wine and see if it meets the standard for this particular variety and vintage.

If it needs more time, the wine will be topped up, re-corked and returned to its owner with advice on the best time to drink it.

If it's reached its peak, the wine will be re-corked and sent home with instructions to drink as soon as possible.

Often the wine can be assessed without opening it — this is an ideal outcome, and it takes an expert to discern by sight.

The whole process is called 're-corking'. It's a free service Penfolds are offering to owners of a Penfolds bottle aged 15 years or over.

Buying and cellaring wine can be a risky business. It's difficult for a wine novice to tell if that bottle they've had lying around for years is a good drop, or has passed its prime.

Mr Gago says the re-corking clinics attract a huge range of clients — from billionaire investors who don't bat an eyelid when told their huge wine collection isn't worth much, to others "quiveringly handing over family heirlooms".

If a client's wine is deemed 'healthy' it is certified with an official Penfolds label. This authentication process can increase a bottle's value if sold at auction.

"You get some of the wealthiest people in Australia at these clinics," he said. "But you also get mums and dads off the street who just want to give a bottle to their child as a 21st birthday present."

Bottles of Penfolds Grange being tested at a re-corking clinic. Source: Supplied

"Every bottle comes with a story — people want to tell you where they bought the wine and how much they paid for it, if it was a gift, if they found it, if it was a reward for something.

"We've gone from years ago where wine was this elitist thing for a chosen few, where nowadays culturally, wine is a very levelling experience.

Mr Gago estimates he's assessed 10,000 bottles on this current Australian and New Zealand tour of the clinics.

His job is as much about managing expectations as it is knowing loads about wine.

Mr Gago estimates approximately 5-10 per cent of clients leave unhappy, because they have an unrealistic expectation of how the wine was progressing, or they haven't stored it correctly.

"There is a little bit of a reality shock for some and you do feel for those people. That's where the emotion creeps in but you have to be considered and remain objective — the same standard applies to everyone, no matter what their story is."

Finally, we taste the St Henri. It's incredible — probably the best wine I've ever tasted. I try to think of fancy wine words to describe it (woody? earthy? good on the nose?), but retain my dignity and stick with "delicious".

I'm given the bottle and told to drink it by Christmas. I make a promise to myself not to drunkenly crack it open on Friday night.

To find out more about the Penfolds re-corking clinics, visit Penfolds.com.

This reporter attended the re-corking clinic as a guest of Penfolds.

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