Are wines with leaked or pushed corks still worth selling or drinking?

My great-aunt recently moved into maintenance, and while cleaning out her garage, I found dozens of wine bottles leaking or with corks popping out. Some look good; Is it worth selling?

—AH, Longueville, NSW

Unfortunately, even good-looking bottles are probably no longer enjoyable to drink. That’s assuming they’ve all been in the garage for a similar amount of time. Younger vintages are likely to spend less time there and are therefore better off. Like most garages, at certain times of the year it gets too hot to store wine safely.

Photograph: Simon Letch

I’ve seen many “cellars” like the one you describe: Wine stored in a warm place for too long is one of the most depressing sights for a wine lover. Typically you’ll see corks pushed out or nasty bottles with corks covering the capsule from which the wine leaks out. Some bottles will be completely empty due to evaporation; others contain a cloudy, cloudy brown substance that was once wine. This is enough to bring tears to the eyes, especially when the labels bear the names of famous wineries.

A friend recently cleared out such a stash and discovered that the venerable Coonawarra reds of the late 1980s and early 90s were no longer delicious, but the Hunter Valley whites of the early 2000s were excellent, especially the screw cap ones. Tyrrell’s Futures from 2002 to 2011 were all good. But most of the bottles had to be uncorked, emptied and thrown into the recycling bin: a melancholy task.

From the 1960s through the early ’90s – all cork-sealed, of course – reds tended to be “over the hill.” However, we have saved a single bottle of the 1952 Woodleys Treasure Chest Claret, a famous Bill Redman wine from the famous Coonawarra range, to open soon with suitable company, but I hold out a faint hope that it will be drinkable. Fingers crossed!

I’m often asked when is the best time to drink wine, and the answer depends on the wine and, most subjectively, whether you enjoy aged wine or prefer young wine. It’s always better to drink a bottle that’s a little too young than a bottle that’s a little too old.

Have a drink-related question for Huon Hooke? thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au