Shipped wines might have grown a little toasty

A reader asks how to tell if wine that was shipped across the country got overheated on the trip.

Q: I am in the process of moving to the Seattle area and shipped a few bottles of wine from my home in Florida. Unfortunately, the shipment was delayed, and I am afraid that the wines may have sat in some rather severe heat. Once they arrive, how can I tell if they have survived?

A: Looking through the retrospectroscope, it's pretty clear that the middle of summer is not the optimal time for shipping wine cross-country. But what's done is done.

Once the wines arrive, do a careful inspection of the bottles. The first thing to look for is leakage. If the wines got really hot, they may have leaked through the cork and capsule, leaving a sticky residue on the bottles. If that's the case, the prognosis is not good. You may as well pop one and see if it has any life left in it.

If there are no obvious signs of leakage, give the wines a few days to stabilize from their journey, then pick one of them and give it a try. If the flavors seem baked (e.g. tired, flat, a little raisined), the odds are the wines got pretty warm. They may still be drinkable, but they won't improve, so it's best to open them as soon as possible.