Recently, James Laube wrote a column ("How to Beat the Heat," Nov 15, 2007 WS issue)suggesting that poor shipping and warehouse storage practices make wines vulnerable to getting cooked due to heat exposure; what is the telltale sign or taste of a cooked wine?

Taste: of Madeira, or of cooked/stewed fruits (as opposed to "fresh", "jammy", or even "preserves").

Visually, in a glass: browning in hue.

Visually, prior to purchase: capsule does not move freely (although not always the case), any wine leakage especially directly underneath the capsule, a raised cork, or sometimes you can even determine a cooked wine by just smelling the cork area!

Hope that helps!

MeritageMan hits it on the head. In short, cooked wine is kinda nasty.

Agreed. I've gotten some funky chemically tastes/aromas from cooked wine. Turpentine, witch hazel, junk like that. And, for me, the fruit just dies in "cooked" wine.

It's the difference between fresh plums and dried-out prunes.

Intense sour fruit and tobacco for reds. Nasty mouthpuckering flavors for whites.

Thanks all. Learned lots...haven't had any of those experiences, yet.

Sancho,

You live in a warm part of the country. Go get a couple of nice QPRs you like (same wine). Take one, wrap the hell out of the top with duct tape, put it in a plastic bag, and leave it in the trunk of your car for a month. If you get several days over 80, this should work fine. Bring both the "cooked" bottle, and the good bottle to the tasting temp, and you'll find out what's what in a hurry.

Browning and stewed plum flavors!

The classic oxidation taint is bruised apple, sometimes a little stewed fig. It may not seem bad at first, but having had my palate taken over by this flavor (acetaldehyde) at a major tasting, let me tell you - if it smells like bruised apples, DO NOT TASTE IT! You run the risk of getting it stuck in your palate, interfering with your tasting. Just toss it.

Color is a hint, but I've had a perfectly dark 2003 red italian wine that was totally oxidized. Trust your sniffer.