Wines with damaged labels...should they sell for a discount?

[HenryB]

Farr Vintners - Fine Wines

You can find the impact in some examples of what soiled labels do to some wine prices on the Farr site

Conceptually, value should drop a bit with damaged labels (minor aesthetics probably arent gonna be an issue), but obviously damaged labels will often correlate with older wines which are then rarer, so by extension, more valuable/more subject to ‘auction’ pricing.

[Robert_Sand]

Bts with damaged labels should and usually do sell with a discount , but imo often it s a sign for perfect humid storage … so I buy them with pleasure, even if the vintage is hardly legible. Some of my best bottles looked like this.
I do not really undestand it but for reselling it s often a problem.
There are maybe less drinkers than collectors and investors …

[S_Rash]

My local Total Wine has three 2015 Ridge Geyserville’s that have wine splatter all over the labels. They are on the bottom shelf and I know a bottle above it got knocked off and broken causing the splatter. Those three bottles have been there well over a year and probably won’t sell because of the labels. Maybe I should talk to management and ask for a discount since they aren’t selling.

[J_Rock]

When I’m on Benchmark, I hunt for the good bottles with cosmetic flaws. In fact, the majority of my purchases from there might be cosmetically flawed bottles. I’m slightly more picky if I’m getting wine from another source that doesn’t guarantee the provenance of the wine.

[Julian_Marshall]

I actually am happy to see older bottles with signs of mold, etc. on the label. Suggests to me the potential for having been stored properly.

Absolutely - if the level is good and the label is damaged by damp, it’s an excellent sign. Some of my best buys have been wines like that, precisely because other collectors do not bid for them.

Obviously if you’re selling, it works the other way, so many people cover the labels now with cellophane.

[Chris_Seiber]

I actually am happy to see older bottles with signs of mold, etc. on the label. Suggests to me the potential for having been stored properly.

I agree, mold and bin tears are probably a good sign in terms of how the wine was stored.

[Scott_Jameson]

My local Total Wine has three 2015 Ridge Geyserville’s that have wine splatter all over the labels. They are on the bottom shelf and I know a bottle above it got knocked off and broken causing the splatter. Those three bottles have been there well over a year and probably won’t sell because of the labels. Maybe I should talk to management and ask for a discount since they aren’t selling.

Do it ! I bought some Ridge Three Valleys with stained labels at my local TW. I asked if they’d discount them and they offered 25% off …

[Markus_S]

No, you don’t drink labels, but since other people Do care about it when it graces their table, I’d ask for 50% off.

[Blake_Brown]

Not so concerned about labels. Corks, color and capsules yes. Any combo of both and it’s a no go. As to pricing a bottle with a damaged label, I’m buying to drink and not looking for a discount.

[David_Baum]

My wine cabinets have metal racks that tear labels all the time. I dont sell em so I dont care but label damage is not always a sign of the storage conditions.

[Pat_Esposito]

If it’s not in perfect condition it won’t make a great Instagram pic, which is the real reason to drink great wine, right?

[Arv_R]

My local Total Wine has three 2015 Ridge Geyserville’s that have wine splatter all over the labels. They are on the bottom shelf and I know a bottle above it got knocked off and broken causing the splatter. Those three bottles have been there well over a year and probably won’t sell because of the labels. Maybe I should talk to management and ask for a discount since they aren’t selling.

I only go into our local TW a couple times a year, and often see this as well.

[JDVanHoose]

I’d buy such bottles in a heartbeat. Love a discount since I care about what’s in the bottle, not what’s on it.

What he said…

[DougS]

No

[Ethan_Abraham]

I’d be curious if auction houses have any good data about label condition vs sale price. Tough to have a ton of data, but perhaps interesting. For small lots I would think the biggest effect would be the end buyer. I imagine a consultant or retailer would be less willing to pay the “going rate” if the label had an issue, whereas an end consumer is probably happy to be able to grab the bottle at that price. For case lots, where even an end consumer might have a thought to one day reselling, I’d think it would be a bigger issue.

[GregT]

My wine cabinets have metal racks that tear labels all the time. I dont sell em so I dont care but label damage is not always a sign of the storage conditions.

This.

Of course, if one knows how you fling the bottles around when you’re looking for the paint cans, one might pause!

[David_Baum]

My wine cabinets have metal racks that tear labels all the time. I dont sell em so I dont care but label damage is not always a sign of the storage conditions.

This.

Of course, if one knows how you fling the bottles around when you’re looking for the paint cans, one might pause!

Wow it’s been a long time. Miss you and yours. One of these days we’ll get to pull some corks together again. Cheers