(from the Star Tribune)
Fewer wineries are putting a cork in it
Because of "cork taint," screwcaps are making major inroads as the wine-bottle stoppers of choice. Don't like it? Sorry, you had best get used to it.
In the late 1600s, a French monk named Dom Perignon decided that the prevailing method for sealing wine bottles -- a piece of wood wrapped in hemp that had been dipped in olive oil -- simply wouldn't do. He encountered a group of Spanish pilgrims bearing cork, and voilà! A happy marriage was consummated.
"I've been in this business since 1985," he added, "and I have to admit that there's something about the ambiance of uncorking a wine. But the reality is that the screwtop gives you something closer to what the winemaker intends, and that corks don't always stand up."
Being the oenophile that I am (for you laymen---oeno, from the Greek oinos, or wine; phile, someone that has a love or affinity for; ergo, lover of wine, or as I prefer, wine connoisseur; and if you were also a crosswordophile, like myself, you'd know that) I found this article very interesting. Unfortunately the author of the article only spoke about the history of sealing and aging wines as it regards corking, and now screw-topping, and the different types of materials that have been used over the years.
What they failed to do was try and reach those aficianados of wine, such as myself, who are a little more discriminating when it comes to top vintage wines. We know that the true test of a good wine is in how nice does the box smell. Some of your cheaper wines use a lower standard cardboard than your top of the line boxed wines, and you can notice the difference as you tuck it under your arm. The better grade of box does not really have a smell to it; whereas poor wines will have a newspapery smell to the box.
The next thing I look at is the spigot. I want a wine where the spigot slides out smoothly, and goes back in with little pressure. In the poorer quality wines, you really have to manhandle the spigot to go back in properly.
I didn't expect that the author would include information directed at oenophiles such as myself. We don't need educating, because we live and breathe it everyday. I'm sure that Surly Dave, who also considers himself somewhat of an expert on wines, would agree with everything I've said here. For those of you interested in learning a little more about the dark side of wine, this is a somewhat amusing little article, I'd recommend you check it out.
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2 comments:
I've always said that you can't judge a wine by it's box.
Speaking of boxed wine, I recently discovered wine in juice boxes! I think its great because now you can put them in you lunch bag, drink them while driving, bring them to the beach with out having to bring a cork screw...FREEDOM! Plus, paper and card board are biodegradable, so when your done you can just pitch them on the side of the road and let mother nature do her thing. Or some guys doing their public service.
I've also seen wine in little milk cartons as well. Isn't it great that wine has become so...plebian? Now you can drink wine with out any amount of culture or understanding, and you get to use a straw!
Actually, I like the screw top bottles, even on expensive wine. It creates a truer seal, and you have less chance of buying bottles that have gone bad (about 10%), which can be real frustrating when it's late and your entertaining guests.
I've always thought those "juice box" wines should come with a little straw. The bag-in-box wine actually can remove TCA (taint) from the wine. TCA can get into wine before it ever comes near a cork, so this is significant. It's the plastic that actually strips the TCA from the wine by absorbing it. Even the plastic liner under a screw cap will do this a little.
Fly by Night
http://boxedwinespot.blogspot.com
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