May suggest ullage during the life of the wine due to either easing of the cork or inconsistent storage conditions. Not abnormal for wines 30 or more years of age. As additional indicators of risk, definitely inspect clarity and color of the wine in the bottle, as well as condition of the cork.
Low Shoulder and Below:
Suggests poor provenance. Definitely a risk and generally not saleable, with exception given to rare bottlings and/or labels. Not recommended for consumption.
1. BOTTLE CONDITIONS PREFIX
l - lightly h - heavily
BSL Bin Soiled Label
GSL Glue Stained Label
WASL Water Stained Label
WISL Wine Stained Label
FL Faded Label
LL Loose Label
NL Nicked Label
SCL Scuffed Label
TAL Tattered Label
TL Torn Label
TSL Tissue Stained Label
WL Writing on Label
WRL Wrinkled Label
STL Stained Label
NOL No Label
2. WINE CONDITIONS
BN Base Neck Level
TS Top Shoulder Level
VHS Very-High-Shoulder Level
HS High-Shoulder Level
HTMS High-to-Mid-Shoulder Level
MS Mid-Shoulder Level
LS Low Shoulder
3. CORK CONDITIONS
CC Corroded Capsule
CRC Cracked Capsule
CUC Cut Capsule
NC Nicked Capsule
NOC No Capsule
WC Wrinkled Capsule
WXC Waxed Capsule
DC Depressed Cork
SDC Slightly Depressed Cork
PC Protruding Cork
SPC Slightly Protruding Cork
SOS Signs of Seepage
SSOS Slight Signs of Seepage
4. Other
OCB Original Cardboard Box
OWC Original Wooden Case
2OCB Two Original Cardboard Boxes
2OWC Two Original Wood Cases
CRW Cracked Wood
TOWC Taped Wood Case
5. Bottle Sizes
Half Bottle .375 Litres
Bottle .750 Litres
Magnum 1.5 Litres
Double Magnum 3 Litres
Jéroboam
(Burgundy, Champagne & Rhône) 3 Litres
Jéroboam (Bordeaux) 4½-5 Litres
Impérial 6 Litres
Methuselah
(Burgundy, Champagne & Rhône) 6 Litres
Salmanazar 9 Litres
BURGUNDY
Because the shape of Burgundy bottles does not allow for a level rating system based on the shoulder of the bottle, levels are described by means of inches below cork. Generally, Burgundy wines with an inch and one half fill level or above are considered normal for wines younger than 10 years of age. Wines of 15 or more years of age with fill levels of between an inch and one half and three inches are generally considered to be of sound provenance, though consideration should be given to the clarity and color of the wine in the bottle, as well as the condition of the cork. Burgundy bottles with fill levels lower than three inches may be at risk of being damaged or undrinkable, and therefore may be unsaleable. It should be noted that some Burgundian producers tend to over-fill their bottles during the bottling process which may cause a few drops of wine to become trapped between the capsule and the cork. This should not be confused with ullage, a natural occurrence in older wines, which may be accelerated due to poor provenance.