Originally Posted by DukeSkywalker

yes.. depends on teh cork or how young the wine was when bottled. sometimes extra fermantation occurs in the bottle causing it to taste carbonated. Or, sometimes the cork starts to rot causing it to taste metalic and somewhat like a plum. Or, sometimes the cork has an imperfection in it. you can tell this by one of two way, feel teh top of the cork before opening it. if its raised some, the bottle is no good. The second way is a tad two late but if you see any wine on teh side of teh cork its bad, or if the cork has a deep red or black bottom. Also, only buy a bottle thats laying down or tilted. The cork needs to remain wet.
Once its in teh glass, say a few ounces, tilt the glass some near a light. If the wine has a yellowish hue in the miniscus the wine is bad or very close.
It all depends on personal taste though. I prefer a brunello circa 1997
Duke