I was dining at a "trendy" Toronto restaurant on the west side last night.
I was drinking wines by the glass with dinner. I had one glass of Pinot Noir and then wanted to switch. The bartendress opened a new bottle of a different Pinot Noir for me (but one I had had before - Six Foot Six from Victoria). From my first sip, it just smelled bad and tasted bad. When I mentioned this to her, I was surprised at her reaction - she said, "Oh, this is a screw-top and it's a new bottle, so it couldn't possibly be bad." What ever happened to "the customer is always right?!" Ha-ha. I was surprised, because I hinted that perhaps my taste buds were be-fuddled by my meal and someone there should give it a sip, and that's what I would have done if I were working behind the bar, just to check!
I left the $14 glass unfinished (a BIG hint that somehow went unnoticed), paid my 100-dollar tab plus a nice tip, and left.
So...if it's possible, it must be quite rare, but can screw-top wines spoil, oxidize or go bad?
Thanks!