PENFOLDS RE-CORKING CLINICS

Penfolds Re-corking Clinics were established in 1991 to provide collectors with a wine health check service for their old bottles of Penfolds wines. Over the last 30 years at least 180,000 bottles across four continents have been assessed by Penfolds winemaking team.

The clinic was inspired by Bordeaux wine estate Château Lafite Rothschild s practice of re-corking old bottles for its customers, although Max Schubert, the creator of Grange, would occasionally re-cork old vintages of Grange for his friends.

The complimentary service is available for all Penfolds wines aged 15 years and over. At the clinics, wines judged to be in good condition for their vintage are topped up, re-corked with a Penfolds-branded cork and re-capsuled. A back label signed by a Penfolds winemaker is affixed to the bottle, which gives the newly assessed wine known provenance.

If a wine fails the clinic, the wines are recorked with a standard blank cork without being topped up, re-capsuled or validated. As a result, failed bottles cannot be traded.

The Penfolds Re-corking Clinics have helped guarantee the quality of aged Penfolds wines in circulation. With fewer bottles of poorly cellared Penfolds wine ever reaching the secondary market, auction buyers and collectors are able to confidently expect a great Penfolds wine experience. Successfully cliniced bottles and wines in pristine original condition nowadays achieve similar prices at auction.

Penfolds technical experience with re-corking is today unchallenged by any wine company in the world. Aside from providing collectors with a perfect after-sales service it has provided an insightful understanding of wine aging in various conditions.

Penfolds Re-corking Clinics take place every two years in various cities around the world. For collectors, it is the best forum for meeting and tasting their wines with Penfolds winemakers, and sharing their special moments and stories relating to the wine. To stay up to date with Re-corking Clinics in your area you can join the mailing list at penfolds.com.

The energy and magic of

Penfolds Re-corking Clinics continues

unabated. A highlight of any

year and after nearly 30 years we

winemakers still queue up and

lobby to attend! The people, the

stories, the bottles. And we get paid

to do this?!

PETER GAGO, Chief Winemaker

A Grange wine assessment mid-flight at a Penfolds

Re-corking Clinic. A 15mL sample is poured of each

wine before it is topped up, certified and re-corked

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