See Spot. See Spot spread.

In the early and mid 1980's I was lucky enough to work in the wine world. During that time I built up a (very) modest collection. Back then the cost of all but the most heralded wines was still within reach of mere mortals, so once a month or so I would indulge in a Biggie. Most I would drink, but a few I laid down.

In the late 80's I took up with a brilliant, wonderful, funny, pretty CPA. Who was also a raging alcoholic. I stayed with her for almost a decade trying to help her out, ultimately to no avail. After she broke in to my stash early in our relationship and drank two rarities in one night, I whisked the remaining bottles to a friend's cellar for safekeeping.

There they stayed until 2001, when I met someone else and got married. That's when the bottles came home, and into a wine fridge. From then til now my wife and I have probably drunk half of them, leaving 15 or so to go.

The wines themselves are in very good shape. The ones we've opened appeared to have weathered their long cellaring without ill effect, and the ones still in bottle all look to be proper color with very little ullage.

But one thing I've noticed just in the past year or so is a marked deterioration of *some* labels. When I retrieved the lot from my friend's cellar there were a few black spots here and there on a few labels. Mold or a fungus, I suppose. And that's how it stayed for almost 10 years. But now, as I say, some have deteriorated. It looks like the spots on those bottles have enlarged and multiplied, to the point where information on the label is getting obscured.

It's not uniform from bottle to bottle, btw. Some are heavily affected, others still look pristine. For instance, two Heitz Cellars Martha's Vinyards from the 70's look like they've been at the losing end of a paintball battle. But a '59 Lafite Rothschild only has a moderate amount, and there's hardly any on a '70 Montrose and two d'Yquems. The rest are just like that: some have it, some don't. I guess they must use different composition lables, which are more or less attractive to spores depending. I mean, the two Heitz labels look much more "papery", if you know what I mean.

So my question is does anyone know how to get this stuff off without ruining the labels? Is it as simple as soapy water, gently applied? I'm not worried about the loss of value, as I don't intend to sell them. But it would be nice to look at the labels in all their original splendor again. Or at least with the vintage dates showing.

Thanks very much for any thoughts or tips you may have.

Tom

Tom, Hi...


First of all, what not to do. Under no circumstances should you use chlorine bleach to clean the mold. The mold on the labels will do no harm at all to the wine but if you use chlorine, the ions will indeed penetrate the cork and ruin the wine!

As to what to do. Much will depend on whether the mold is simply on the surface of the label or if it has actually penetrated the paper. If simply on the surface, a soft, slightly dampened chamois like or linen cloth may brush off the vast majority of the mold. If it has penetrated, however, you will probably not be able to get rid of the mold without destroying the label. If penetration is the case try blotting the surface mold with dry absorbent toweling. After that, not much to do except to become accustomed to what many Englishmen consider "the charm of the mold".

As to the future, keep in mind that the mold probably developed because of excess moisture in the storage area. Try to adjust that. If that does not work, consider the possibility of wrapping the label part of each new bottle to enter the cellar in self-sealable polystyrene wrap.

As to worry about the mold…..I have plenty of more mature wines in bottles that have developed mold. I periodically blot the mold with absorbent toweling, handling the bottles very gently of course. And then I sit back in contented amazement at having had the patience to cellar those wines for so long.

Best
Rogov

Thank you Mr. Rogov, I appreciate the considered reply. The warning to avoid bleach particularly, as I was initially leaning towards applying a dilute solution of the stuff.

I'll give your "what to do" suggestions a try. If they come to naught then...call me an Englishman, I suppose!

I admire your self control, that you have voluntarily kept bottles as long yourself. I suppose I should thank the young lady alcoholic who forced my hand all those years ago. Without her unfortunate affliction, my collection would by now be but dim and fading memories....

Tom

Cool story, Tom. No advice here except to listen to Rogov...

This isn't really an answer to your question, though it might help you in the future. A lot of my french friends use hair spray (the cheaper the better)! Before confiding the bottles to the cellar, they give each label a quick spray. The lacquer protects the labels apparently. Personally, I am unworried, and allow my labels, like me, to grow old disgracefully.

This is a serious question...

Has anyone ever heard of mold on a wine label causing an issue with the wine itself?

Tom,

I tasted a "hurricane" wine from a cellar that flooded in New Orleans. The label was a moldy mess, but the wine was superb. Apparently the cold flood water helped to preserve the wine quite nicely.

My impression was that the flood waters in New Orleans averaged above 80 degree F, which is why so many cellars were totally ruined???? I'd be very wary of Katrina damaged labels.

I have a damp cool passive cellar, and get some minor label mold on occasion. It doesn't bother me, and I actually tend to regard minor damp damage as a positive when bidding on older wines (very few people had temp control in 60s and 70s).

I am well aware of the correlation between bleach in the cellar and TCA taint. but I wonder about the idea that " the ions will indeed penetrate the cork and ruin the wine." If corks are that permeable, wouldn't tca escape one bottle and affect rest of cellar? I know wineries shouldn't use bleach for cleaning (near wood that touches unbottled wine/juice), but is a wineshop mopping with bleach a hazard? Calling a scientist, please!

Thanks Mark and Ian! Ian, that sounds like a neat-o trick. Thanks for passing it along

Has anyone ever heard of mold on a wine label causing an issue with the wine itself?

Nope. And if mold should form on the neck of the bottle and even under the capsule, simply remove the capsule (it serves no purpose except decorative unless you have rats in your wine cellar), wipe clean with a lightly dampened cloth and that too will do no harm to the wine.

As to spraying labels with lacqueur before placing in the cellar, an excellent idea but be 100% sure to use an odorless lacqueur as the chemicals added to give aroma can indeed penetrate the cork and thus harm the wine.

Best
Rogov

Hi Daniel

You pointed out:-

be 100% sure to use an odorless lacquer

Quite right. Which is one reason I suggested using the cheapest available, as they tend not to be scented. Actually, if you spray your labels lightly and leave them standing up for a couple of hours, any smells (sorry, scent) will have evaporated.

Like Dale, I personally don't worry, but I know that for some people, a pristine label somehow adds to their pleasure in drinking.

I have two comments regarding this thread. First, on the bottles of the only aged wine in my cellar (1975 Lafite), the labels have deteriorated badly, having become unglued and crumbling in places. That does not bother me. Secondly, I make labels for my home made wine using an inkjet printer and spray them with cheap hairspray before appling to the bottles. It fixes the ink and prevents running if they get wet.

I am well aware of the correlation between bleach in the cellar and TCA taint. but I wonder about the idea that " the ions will indeed penetrate the cork and ruin the wine." If corks are that permeable, wouldn't tca escape one bottle and affect rest of cellar? I know wineries shouldn't use bleach for cleaning (near wood that touches unbottled wine/juice), but is a wineshop mopping with bleach a hazard? Calling a scientist, please!

Dale,
What Rogov is referring to is the possibility of gaseous chlorine getting in/around the cork. Chlorine gas is as small as oxygen and can get into small spaces easily. The odor of commercial bleaches is from the chlorine gas given off. Yes, it could form TCA, but the bigger worry is that it reacts with the wine, acting as the powerful oxidant that it is. I can easily imagine that a prolonged exposure to chlorine could kill a wine, even apart from the possible TCA taint. TCA doesn't escape from one bottle to another because it is one of the least volatile components of the wine with a boiling point above 200°C. The fact that we can smell TCA at all is testament to how sensitive we are to its smell. Its lack of volatility is what I think is at work when we find that wines tainted with TCA get corkier with time: most of the competing odorants in the wine evaporate away, leaving the TCA behind as the last component to go.

HTH
Mark Lipton

Dale,
What Rogov is referring to is the possibility of gaseous chlorine getting in/around the cork. Chlorine gas is as small as oxygen and can get into small spaces easily. The odor of commercial bleaches is from the chlorine gas given off. Yes, it could form TCA, but the bigger worry is that it reacts with the wine, acting as the powerful oxidant that it is. I can easily imagine that a prolonged exposure to chlorine could kill a wine, even apart from the possible TCA taint. TCA doesn't escape from one bottle to another because it is one of the least volatile components of the wine with a boiling point above 200°C. The fact that we can smell TCA at all is testament to how sensitive we are to its smell. Its lack of volatility is what I think is at work when we find that wines tainted with TCA get corkier with time: most of the competing odorants in the wine evaporate away, leaving the TCA behind as the last component to go.

HTH
Mark Lipton

I certainly could see how a long term exposure would be a danger. Being in an environment where there was constant chlorine fumes - yikes! But I was wondering about the idea that a one time application of bleach or hairspray to a label would damage the wine. If the cork is that permeable, wouldn't the wine be oxidized anyway? Wouldn't the wine be vulnerable to taint if a transport truck, ship container, distributor warehouse, or retail store was cleaned with bleach, recently painted, or had a solvent or stain used?

By the way Tom, sorry to hijack your thread, I enjoyed and sympathized with your story, and look forward to your participation here. '59 Lafite and '70 Montrose, whoo hoo!

Checking with a wine chemist on this one. Will report back on short term exposure.

Best
Rogov

My impression was that the flood waters in New Orleans averaged above 80 degree F, which is why so many cellars were totally ruined???? I'd be very wary of Katrina damaged labels.

Dale,

Immediately after the hurricane the water temperatures were in the 68 F to 70 F range. Wine in cellars that were fully submerged in the flood waters remained at those temperatures for some time. Wines that were not submerged, or were submerged above ground (not in cellars) got very warm and very nasty. We took a chance on the wine that we bought knowing full well that it came from New Orleans. We got lucky, at least with two bottles, and we would not have been out much if it turned out to be garbage.

I've been in touch with wine chemist Yair Margalit on this*. His comments:

"The origin of this myth is the TCA which might be produced by the reaction of the chlorine with a phenolic compound found in the cork. These days, the cork bleaching in the cork plants, is done with ozone instead with economica which contain chlorine. by doing so the TCA infected corks was reduced from about 5% to 1%. The 1% TCA corks were infected in the forest before cutting the wood.

Practically, the short contact of the chlorine gas in the air with the inside of the cork in the bottle, does not to my opinion enough to create TCA which will penetrate into the wine. It does not work this way".

On the other hand, spoke with two winemakers both of whom reflect the feeling that "short contact probably won't do any damage but probably isn't enough for me to gamble".

Best
Rogov

*For those who do not know his name, Margalit is a physical chemist, his specialty being in wine, the author of Concepts in Wine Technology, Concepts in Wine Chemistry and several other books, all considered standard international texts. Yair is also the owner, now with his son Assaf, of the Margalit Winery in Israel, widely considered one of the very best small winieries in the country.

I certainly could see how a long term exposure would be a danger. Being in an environment where there was constant chlorine fumes - yikes! But I was wondering about the idea that a one time application of bleach or hairspray to a label would damage the wine. If the cork is that permeable, wouldn't the wine be oxidized anyway? Wouldn't the wine be vulnerable to taint if a transport truck, ship container, distributor warehouse, or retail store was cleaned with bleach, recently painted, or had a solvent or stain used?

You're right, of course, that a brief exposure wouldn't present too many dangers, but chlorine has a way of lingering longer than one might expect. Have you ever swum in a chlorinated pool, then tried to wash the smell off? It's harder than it would seem. Rogov's chemist seems to agree about things, too.

Mark Lipton

These days, the cork bleaching in the cork plants, is done with ozone instead with economica which contain chlorine. by doing so the TCA infected corks was reduced from about 5% to 1%. The 1% TCA corks were infected in the forest before cutting the wood.

I'm not trying to cause an argument!!!!

I think there are some here who would disagree with that 1% number.

I wonder how long ago the process changed?

Sam,
I was just surprised, as I thought Lake Pontchartrain had temps in the 85-90 range in late summer, and the Gulf in low 80s. Combined with air temps in the 90s, I'd have guessed flood waters were at least 80

Thanks all for info. I don't plan on using bleach or solvents in my cellar in any case, but at least I don't need to worry about cleaning supplies in trucks or retailers.

I think there are some here who would disagree with that 1% number.

Tom, Hi.....

Even I would disagree with the 1% estimate. Over the years my TCA taint problem has been about 1.5-2%. Indeed, I am one of those people who are hyper-sensitive to TCA. On the other hand I am also aware that not all problems that occur with wine are related to TCA taint. More than that, I wonder if you might agree that starting about six years ago it became a de rigueur American sport to find TCA taint in just about anything that came our way that was either faulted in one way or another or not to our personal tastes and satisfaction.

I may be wrong (I'm the first to admit) but I cannot help but wonder if much of the TCA problem was not more a reflection of mass hysteria than the impact of TCA. I'll gladly admit to a possible 3- 4% failure rate due to TCA but above that.......sorry, but Chicken Little was wrong - the sky is really not falling.

Best
Rogov

I wonder if you might agree that starting about six years ago it became a de rigueur American sport to find TCA taint in just about anything that came our way that was either faulted in one way or another or not to our personal tastes and satisfaction.

Dan,

I would agree with that (although I'm not sure of the exact date) but I'm clearly in the minority here.

I don't participate in wine tasting groups as much as I did 10-20 years ago but my experience has always been that some/many people mistake Brett, heat damage, Madeirization, poor winemaking, sulphur, etc. for TCA taint.

As I've said before (and been bashed for it) I don't believe for a minute claims of 5%+ for TCA.

First of all, what not to do. Under no circumstances should you use chlorine bleach to clean the mold. The mold on the labels will do no harm at all to the wine but if you use chlorine, the ions will indeed penetrate the cork and ruin the wine!

Why not dip a cotton ball into a weak chlorine solution and apply directly to the affected areas of a label keeping well away from the cork/capsule end? Surely the chlorine would not penetrate glass.