Oenophiles! What do you reckon?

[old man emu]

I was just pouring myself a glass of chilled rose' and the question popped up in my mind - Are screw-tops better for wine bottles than corks?

 

 

[octave]

I was just pouring myself a glass of chilled rose' and the question popped up in my mind - Are screw-tops better for wine bottles than corks?

Yep, screw caps are superior for younger wines, the ones that the likes of us can afford. Cork is said by some to be better for wines that need to age. I think the idea is that a little oxygen entering through the cork is supposed to be beneficial in the ageing process.

 

 

[David2ayo]

Screw tops definitely better. It is much easier to screw the cap on after taking a small* sample, than ram the cork back and have it look original. Oh, and if you take more than one (or more) samples, you can always complain that they didn't fill the bottle properly.

 

* 'small' is a relative quantity.

 

David

 

 

[David2ayo]

Octave, if the wine cannot breathe due to screw cap instead of cork, you probably need to give it mouth - to - mouth .....

 

david

 

 

[octave]

Octave, if the wine cannot breathe due to screw cap instead of cork, you probably need to give it mouth - to - mouth .....david

Understood and will comply

 

 

[octave]

Problem with an older bottle is that once you do find the corkscrew the cork often disintegrates and inevitably you end up pushing the reaming section of cork into the bottle - worth the effort though.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Hardly any cork used in AUSTRALIA now and it is disappearing in other countries for the same good reasons.

 

 

[Bruce]

At the Adelaide wine show, many years ago, they tested the identical wine from cork and screw bottles. The first few years gave identical scores, after which the screw tops performed better.

 

 

[old man emu]

Here's another bullet for the Greenies to fire:

 

Carbon footprint studies conducted by Corticeira Amorim, Oeneo Bouchage of France and the Cork Supply Group of Portugal concluded that cork is the most environmentally friendly winestopper in comparison to other alternatives. The Corticeira Amorim’s study, in particular ("Analysis of the life cycle of Cork, Aluminum and Plastic Wine Closures"), was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, according to ISO 14040. Results concluded that, concerning the emission of greenhouse gases, each plastic stopper released 10 times more CO2, whilst an aluminium screw cap releases 26 times more CO2 than does a cork stopper.

 

Also, the increasing abandonment of corks for wine bottles could plunge the economies of Portugal and Spain into further decline as there are about 2,200,000 hectares of cork forest worldwide; 34% in Portugal and 27% in Spain. Annual production is about 200,000 tons; 49.6% from Portugal, 30.5% from Spain. Since both are EU countries, such economic decline would require intervention by the EU, and be another financial impost on Great Britain. I suppose Portugal and Spain are calling out to Great Britain, "Don't screw us!"

 

 

[facthunter]

Just using glass is a plus. it's not plastic and is re used easily if you want to.. I've been part of the wine industry and am a nationally qualified viticulturist (Grape grower) and an enthusiastic good wine consumer.... For years people with vision including leading winemakers back as far as the 60's have advocated a better seal than cork.( even Crown seals). The spoilage of wines is accentuated by cork faults. Any oxidation will create Vinegar (Acetic acid). Not really what you want.. A bottle that's gone off is spoiled and not really drinkable." Methode Champenoise" Bubbly "bottle fermented" needs a good cork as it has to have the 'lees" removed after freezing the top. and take the pressure.of the bubbles.

 

Letting the wine breathe is just to get rid of the smell of some preservatives (Sulphites similar to nappy soak Miltons) Decant before consuming. Not part of this consideration.. If you don't drink the whole bottle reseal and keep it cool in the fridge.and it should be good for a week or so. If it's red, let it out of the fridge to warm a little. Cooling wine "hides" the flavor.

 

Cork is very expensive along with oak barreling. Can cost more than the grapes used. The cork industry in Portugal/Spain was deliberately sabotaged by activists, which probably moved things along. I regard it very much as a practical change for the better.Nev

 

 

[octave]

I've been part of the wine industry and am a nationally qualified viticulturist (Grape grower) and an enthusiastic good wine consumer

Why was I not informed of this sooner?

 

If you don't drink the whole bottle

as if

 

 

[facthunter]

I should have said the "last" bottle.. if it applies." Less of better" is the key. Life is too short to drink BAD wine, drive Land Rovers, etc Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

facthunter. You may be correct, but I can enjoy low price wine because I am not an oenophile. If I went to wine apprecation training and studied what makes wine good and less good I could end up only enjoying expensive wines.

 

I happen to like Dan Murphys Cleanskin Dry White at a very affordable price. I prefer reds and a hard to find one is Durif, which is not super cheap but sometimes worth the extra price. I wonder if I could really appreciate the very high priced wine that you can buy and by that I mean anything over $20 per bottle.

 

 

[David2ayo]

Nev, I am horrified! You struggled (with Octave hard at your heels) to bring some decorum and facts back to this thread after my feeble attempts to make fun of it, and then you pour disdain on the best 4 wheel drive in the world! I can see that Marty and I will have to give you a severe talking-to!

 

Yours insincerely

 

David the proud Disco 4 owner.

 

And, on a more relevant topic, my brother had a bottle of plonk rouge which he claimed was some highly sought-after drop, but he left it for 25 years in my shed which is non-insulated and in Dubbo, so when I finally dug out what I think was the appropriate bottle, the label had disappeared and the contents had diminished more than somewhat. The moral being, if you like the stuff (I don't, but won't deny others their pleasure), drink and enjoy it before it deteriorates!

 

David

 

 

[octave]

OK, true story. I have just returned from picking up some weekend provisions. Usually, I will buy 1 bottle to drink over Saturday and Sunday. Some weekends like this one I will buy a good bottle and a cheaper bottle so that I may have a couple of extra glasses on Friday. Whilst bringing in the groceries one of the bottles tore through the paper bag and exploded on the driveway. I have yet tried to ascertain whether it was the cheap or expensive bottle yet. I think I need a drink. What is the consensus, too early?

 

 

[David2ayo]

Did the dog lick it up, or just take one sniff and move on?

 

 

[Litespeed]

It is never ever too early if you understand the Sun is always over the yardarm somewhere in the world.

 

I just bought 3 bottles of the cheap stuff but tasty enough, it is for cooking. I am making turkey pies today on mass, the local colesworth had size 38 frozen for only 8 bucks.

 

Personally I like cork, it is the green alternative and employs a lot of people.

 

 

[octave]

Did the dog lick it up, or just take one sniff and move on?

We don't have a dog, I had to do it myself

 

 

[Marty_d]

Nev, I am horrified! You struggled (with Octave hard at your heels) to bring some decorum and facts back to this thread after my feeble attempts to make fun of it, and then you pour disdain on the best 4 wheel drive in the world! I can see that Marty and I will have to give you a severe talking-to!Yours insincerely

 

David the proud Disco 4 owner.

 

And, on a more relevant topic, my brother had a bottle of plonk rouge which he claimed was some highly sought-after drop, but he left it for 25 years in my shed which is non-insulated and in Dubbo, so when I finally dug out what I think was the appropriate bottle, the label had disappeared and the contents had diminished more than somewhat. The moral being, if you like the stuff (I don't, but won't deny others their pleasure), drink and enjoy it before it deteriorates!

 

David

For me a Defender is like a lovely actress on TV - I quite like looking at it, but I've never been inside one, and if I got to know it really well I may not like it anymore. Oh, and my wife would probably not be thrilled if I brought one home.

 

Back to wines though - I have a bottle of Grange Hermitage stashed in a cupboard somewhere (our house is fairly stable, temperature-wise). Its vintage is the same as mine, 1972.

 

I keep meaning to get it tested at one of those Grange clinics that roll around the country, and I always forget. Might just open it when we both turn 50 and see what it's like.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

A couple of bottles of Grange have come my way over the years and I have found the satisfaction of remembering the time I opened each is far better than the satisfaction that I felt when I had them in the wine rack.

 

 

[Litespeed]

It is just a glass bottle with red stuff unless you open it.

 

 

[old man emu]

My daughter gave me a guide to wine buying for Christmas. The most interesting information in it was a description of the scoring system for wine judging. Because I had only experiences bronze, silver and gold medals for sport as the rewards for the first three highest scores, I though that a wine that was awarded one of these medals in a competition was one of the three best in the competition.

 

The guide explained that each wine in a competition is only judged against a standardised points schedule, to get a score out of 100. Therefore, it is quite common for several wines in the same competition to be awarded the same coloured medal. There's no "best" in the general judging, but I suppose there must be some "best in show" awards.

 

This "points out of 100" method seem very egalitarian to me. It means that a vigneron who only produces a small quantity of wine can stand up with the big producers. I also like the idea that now I can go to buy wine, and if the label indicates that the wine has been awarded one of the three possible coloured medals, then I have a recommendation from an expert of the quality and adherence to type of the wine. That's good consumer info for people who don't want to get involved in the intricacies of wine tasting.

 

I reckon the guff and stuff on the label that claims the wine has "a taste of blackberries heightened by a hint of cinnamon" is for wankers. All I want from a wine is not to have the back of my throat burnt out by tannins, nor something so sweet it turns my eyes inwards.

 

 

[nomadpete]

Not into the phlegm pullers OME?

 

We don't take my wife to wine tastings anymore!

 

(After a cuople of glasses, Her Pharmacist comment at a wanky wine tasting. "Wow. That's a phlegm puller!" - Embarrassing)

 

 

[facthunter]

Don't keep most "whites" very long, and only keep "other" wines that benefit from it. You will find that quite a few become spoiled after only say 4 years. You have to anticipate losses unless you wouldn't know the difference and will drink anything.

 

I said GOOD wine ( not necessarily "expensive " wines.) If you want a cork it does cost about 70 cents for it .Are you prepared to pay that extra?.. More than the actual cost of the contents in a lot of cases. Many cheap wines are inclusive of some pretty rough stuff that is blended to make it saleable.. This was often marketed with an "in house " label in restaurants. Some make it from Pressings. the red colour comes from the skins.. Some would buy it in bulk and bottle it themselves.. Groups can probably do this even today, if they get organized. You can sample it and make the decision for yourself. . Note I'm NOT against "blended" wines. I'd prefer to have some Cabinet blended with something to smooth it a bit, sometimes.. Shiraz ( called internationally Syra and sometimes Hermitage) is a good Australian grown red that we do fairly well, to excellent , if you want something of that style. (a "proper" red sort off) and Australia does a fair bit of it except some areas are now getting too hot, but it's not successful in some colder places either where Pinot does better.( they are not really equivalent).. Durif is a sort of "ancestor" of Shiraz. A few vineyards in the NE of Victoria do Durif in small amounts. for the wine buffs. It's interesting..

 

A Crook winemaker can spoil good grapes, but no winemaker can make good wine out of crook grapes...

 

PS I didn't make up the Landrover bit. It's out there and I know some of you blokes love your Landy's,. but life's tough. Ultralights aren't appreciated by everybody. Just drink to it. (the enlightenment). Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

What as the satisfaction of the tasting?

 

Is it really that much better than a $20 red?