ACCORDING TO THE law of large numbers (vinous edition), anyone who drinks wine on a regular basis will eventually encounter a bottle that is flawed. Whether they recognize it as something that has gone wrong with a good bottle is another matter altogether. Will they call the wine out as corked or oxidized or even afflicted by excessive brettanomyces (more on this soon), or will they simply vow never to buy that particular lousy-tasting wine ever again?

According to the wine professionals I spoke with recently, it's more likely...