Wine lovers · old bottles
Fill level of an old bottle: what it signals
Over the years, wine evaporates through the cork and the level drops down the neck, then into the shoulder. It is the first clue to an old bottle's condition, before you even open it. Pick the level on the drawing: what it says about drinking it, and about its value.
Where is the wine in your bottle?
Bordeaux bottle, held upright, at eye level. The level is read at the bottom of the meniscus.
The levels, from best to worst
| Level | Normal from | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Into neck | Any age | A young bottle, or an old bottle that has been recorked. |
| Base of neck | Any age | Perfect for an old wine. |
| Very top shoulder | 15 years | Well stored. |
| Top shoulder | 25 years | Normal for an old wine, one to watch on a younger wine. |
| Mid-shoulder | 40 years | Risk of oxidation, significant loss of value. |
| Low shoulder | Never | Often oxidised. |
| Below shoulder | Never | Almost always undrinkable. |
The level does not tell you everything. Also look at the cork through the glass (a cork that has risen or is seeping has let air in), the capsule (sticky or wine-stained: a leak) and the colour against the light (an orange-brown red has evolved a lot). In Burgundy, where the bottle has no shoulder, the gap is measured in centimetres below the cork.
Before opening it
An old bottle needs preparing: upright for a day or two for the sediment, opened gently, then decanted or served from the bottle depending on how fragile it is. To know whether the year itself was good, see the vintage chart; to place the bottle in its drinking window, when to open this bottle.
And if the bottle disappoints, a birth-year or anniversary vintage can be replaced: see what is still around from your year.
Why does the level drop in an old bottle?
Cork lets through tiny amounts of wine and air over decades. The drop is normal and slow in a cool, humid cellar; it speeds up with heat, dry air or a poor-quality cork.
Does a low level mean the wine is bad?
Not always, but the risk rises at each step. A great wine at mid-shoulder can still be lovely; at low shoulder, it is most often oxidised. The level is always judged together with age: top shoulder is normal at forty years, worrying at ten.
What is a recorked bottle?
Some châteaux offer to check their old bottles: they taste, top up with the same wine, change the cork and record it. A bottle recorked at the château keeps its value; recorking of unknown origin lowers it.
Does the level matter when reselling a bottle?
Yes, it is the first thing a buyer or an auction house looks at, along with the state of the label and the provenance. Below mid-shoulder, the bottle sells badly or not at all.
Looking for an old vintage in good condition, with its invoice? Ask us: we will tell you what is available, and at what price.