I notice quite a lot of difference in the taste of some of the wines I enjoy regularly. Is it me – or is it the wine?

—J.B., MANLY, NSW

Even Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, one of the most famous wines in the world, bottled its wines in batches until 1985 because it didn’t have a tank big enough to blend all of the barrels. However, variation in a rare wine that costs thousands of dollars a bottle isn’t likely to worry you and me!

Bottle variation is more problematic with aged wines for several reasons. In the past, wineries often batch-bottled or bottled directly from the barrel. This is less likely today as there would be an outcry from customers reluctant to accept variable quality, and because modern wineries tend to have access to tanks that are big enough to blend a consistent wine. Taste uniformity is probably never going to work for mass-produced wines such as Yellow Tail or Jacob’s Creek, though, because the vast production runs necessitate blending and bottling at regular intervals.

These days, bottle variation is most likely due to cork variation (if the wine is cork-sealed). Different corks let in different amounts of air, which results in variations in speed of ageing. This is magnified by history: the older the wine, the greater the difference between the bottles can be. The second most likely cause is variation in storage conditions. Bottles stored in a warm place will age faster than bottles of the same wine stored in a cool place. Again, this variation will be exacerbated by the passage of time.

Today, most Australian and New Zealand wines are sealed with a screw cap, which should eliminate any differences between bottles. However, screw-capped wines aren’t entirely immune to variation, mostly because of inconsistencies in bottling machinery. Batch-bottling is also, potentially, a wild card, but modern winemakers are pretty good at blending to achieve a consistent style of wine.

Then, of course, we have palate variation. This is impossible to measure, but we must always question ourselves when we think we are tasting something different, but in fact we are tasting the same thing in a different way. Have we just eaten some garlic or an egg or some strong cheese? Or had a cup of coffee or, maybe, some vinegar? Humans can be very good at simply fooling themselves!

Got a drinks question for Huon Hooke? thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au