When navigating the wine auction catalog, labels, and notes concerning them, are some of the more common notes encountered in the auction catalog. Fortunately, these notes are far more relative to collectors’ interests than some of the other condition notes.
Cosmetic Label Imperfections
The majority of wine label assessments are indications of purely cosmetic flaws on the label, with no effect on the value of wine inside the bottle. Wine labels are, after all, made of paper for the most part, and paper is easily damaged. Things like tears, nicks, scuffs, or markings will not alter the estimates on a bottle, and are unimportant to collectors who are buying to drink.
That said, we include these assessment notes because some auction buyers are looking for trophy bottles to add to their collections, and the cleanliness and preservation of the bottle labels are important to the aesthetic of their cellars. Or perhaps a buyer is looking for a birth year vintage as a special gift for a business associate or loved one, in which case they would prefer a pristine label. The importance of these cosmetic notes are purely at the discretion of the bidder.
If a label is torn, nicked, scuffed or marked in areas of the label that obscure important information about the wine – including the producer, vineyard or vintage – additional measures are taken to confirm the bottle’s contents. Typically the capsule will be cut to reveal the cork in this case, and if the visible cork is fully branded and authenticated, the bottle may be permitted for auction. The assessment notes will always indicate if the label is obscured and if the capsule was cut. If the cork cannot confirm the wine’s details in the case of an obscured label, the bottle will not be permitted for auction.
There are additional assessment notes used in a wine auction catalog for label condition classification, but we’ll save those for the next installment. For now though, put your new knowledge of wine auction catalog labels to the test. Head over to our sale schedule a pick a sale and start looking through the lots. And if you have questions, you can email us.
If you’d like to read up on other helpful tips for navigating the auction catalog, you can head over to our first installment on our assessment process. You can also check out our post on ullage, and what that means too.
More Telling Label Imperfections
There are certain label notes that could be clues to the conditions in which a bottle has been stored. Zachys always vets the storage conditions of every consignment that goes to auction, of course, and immediately rejects wines coming from clearly inappropriate conditions before assessment even becomes necessary.
We will, however, admit wines from cellars that may not be sparkling clean if the temperature and humidity conditions are acceptable. This is when you may see notes indicating bin soiled, damp stained, or wine stained labels. These and all label notes will be cataloged at levels of severity from light to heavy.
Bin soiling is fairly common note and encompasses a number of possible label imperfections. These could include dirt, dust, or stains from non-wine elements. A light bin soil would indicate a less-than-perfect label that is still in good shape, whereas a heavy bin soil would indicate a very dirty, not-for-display label.
A wine stained label is one of the more important label notes to consider. It might have come from an unrelated bottle breaking in the cellar and leaking onto other bottles. Or it’s possible the wine stain is a result of old seepage directly from the cork of the bottle in question. Always look out for additional assessment notes when you see a wine stained label, specifically “signs of old seepage.” Depending on the age of the bottle, these combined notes could be concerning as to the condition of the wine inside.
A damp stained label indicates either a moisture-related imperfection (not resulting from wine, but rather water). This moisture could be the result of the label being spilled on, or depending on the severity, possibly submerged in water or ice. Depending on the patterning, humidity could also have been a contributing factor to a damp stain.
Keeping an Open Mind
If you are interested in collecting more mature wines, it’s important to keep an open mind when it comes to label conditions. Some of these wines might have seen a World War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Watergate scandal, or maybe even all three! Anything that sticks around for decades is going to acquire some wear and tear along the way.
Zachys will never allow a bottle into an auction with a label indicating obvious flaws in the wine. But we certainly won’t reject a bottle for cosmetic reasons – the contents inside are too special not to allow back into the market and into the hands of a new collector. At the end of the day, the importance of label conditions is in the eye of the beholder.
Care to put your new knowledge of wine auction catalog labels to the test? Head over to our sale schedule, pick a sale, and start scrolling through the lots. And if you have questions, you can email us.
If you’d like to read up on other helpful tips for navigating the auction catalog, you can head over to our first installment on our assessment process or our explanation of what “ullage” means.