Vintage bottles line up for a health test and top-up

Penfolds assistants prepare the wine for inspection at the recorking clinic. Picture / Dean Treml

Auckland wine enthusiasts took the rare chance yesterday to get the fine old wines from their cellars assessed and valued by international experts.

The delicate process of recorking was also shown at the Penfolds' clinic at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Wines were inspected in the bottle and those in which the level had dropped to the shoulder of the bottle were opened, tested and their quality assessed.

If the wine was in sound condition, it was topped up with the most recent vintage and recorked.

Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago said the process was a "unique after-sales service" which guaranteed and certified the quality of wines aged 15 years or older.

He said the clinic - the second to be held in New Zealand - gave enthusiasts confidence in their investment and encouraged them to cellar wines and enjoy them as they matured.