Carbon-14 Dating Reveals 5% of Vintage Wines May Be Frauds

Carbon dating isn't used only for such academic pursuits as trying to determine the age of the Shroud of Turin, or figure out how old some rocks are. An anonymous reader writes "Up to 5% of fine wines are not from the year the label indicates, according to Australian researchers who have carbon-dated some top dollar wines."

Comments

-1 wine snobs

[martas]

hurray!

Re:-1 wine snobs

[Cryacin]

Isn't it funny how wine connoisseurs play this weird guessing game.

"Can you guess what wine it is?"

"Chateu Latour 1986?"

"Nooooo! 1985!!!"

"Damn! So close!!!"

I mean, you don't exactly hear winos on the street going...

"Yes, fantastic vintage!" "About four O'Clock!"
"Goes well with the carcass of KFC, from bin number four..."

Re:-1 wine snobs

[Antique Geekmeister]

Oh, my. There was a hysterically funny sketch on Carol Burnett, decades about an alcoholic wine expert who was lured into a final tasting match against another expert. His opponent's failing description included the type of wine, the year, the winery, and the name of the girl who stomped the grapes. But he got the name of the girl wrong.

The alcoholic's winning description was "Isss g-o-o-d".

Re:-1 wine snobs

[D'Sphitz]

I get my wine for $9/box, and it even comes with a spigot.

Alternate Headline

[wjc_25]

95% of carbon datings may be inaccurate, says new wine grower-sponsored study.

The finer things in life.

[voodoo cheesecake]

This is why I only drink Jolt and 151.

Re:The finer things in life.

[Ethanol-fueled]

Man, that's hardcore. Do you shit yourself in your sleep?

Excellent work.

[deniable]

1. Buy a bunch of expensive wine
2. Carbon date a small sample.
3. Dispose of the rest thoughtfully.

Some days I'm proud to be an Australian.

Re:Excellent work.

[deniable]

Whoosh

Fixed that for you.

More accuracy

[zogger]

Ya know, they'd get way more accuracy measuring these fine wines age if they used oxygen depleted gold plated monster cables on their equipment...

Re:No One Would Notice

[Archangel Michael]

$400 dollar wine is much like gold plated ethernet cables. Only less so.

Re:Old Enough?

[geminidomino]

I saw that episode of White Collar too! ;)

Re:No One Would Notice

[jrumney]

In many ways the wine market is similar to the hifi market. If only the butler had opened the wine using the correct polarisation of the Oxygen Free Corkscrew, you might have noticed the difference.

'Sideways': Everything you need to know bout wine

[Leemeng]

1. Don't chew gum while tasting wine.
2. Delicate grapes on a vine can be a metaphor for your life / personality, or something.
3. If anyone orders Merlot, leave.

Re:No One Would Notice

[Barlo_Mung_42]

If I spend that much on wine I'm not going to spit it out. That's just crazy talk right there!

Re:-3.14 Reference Snobs

[cc1984_]

So has Monty Python, and it's probably still in the top 10 references on slashdot...

No it isn't

Re:Let me take a pro-expensive wine position

[feepness]

It's not a memorable experience if you have to be TOLD that it's a memorable experience.

Some of my most memorable experiences I can't recall at all.

Re:Let me take a pro-expensive wine position

[oji-sama]

For sure it's a memorable experience that you've just paid $1000 and can't taste the difference to $20 one. A learning experience as well ^.^

Re:Let me take a pro-expensive wine position

[Glonoinha]

Same goes for hookers.
Or so I've heard.

Re:'Sideways': Everything you need to know bout wi

[natehoy]

4. Always order Merlot. Everyone else leaves, more wine for you!