I’m _not_ new to wine, and I’ve never seen anything like this …
Does it smell vinegary/sour, like agrodolce or a balsamic vinegar reduction? If so, it might be wine that has escaped through the cork and has dried into a sticky, viscous substance.
If it doesn’t smell like that, and if it’s actually properly greasy, it might just be actual machine grease—maybe an unspotted issue on the bottling line. If that’s the case the wine inside is probably fine, but I’d give the whole thing a good wipe before opening and also before pouring any just to be sure.
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Mold?
I’m _not_ new to wine, and I’ve never seen anything like this …
Does it smell vinegary/sour, like agrodolce or a balsamic vinegar reduction? If so, it might be wine that has escaped through the cork and has dried into a sticky, viscous substance.
If it doesn’t smell like that, and if it’s actually properly greasy, it might just be actual machine grease—maybe an unspotted issue on the bottling line. If that’s the case the wine inside is probably fine, but I’d give the whole thing a good wipe before opening and also before pouring any just to be sure.