Jump to content

Wine Corks-- A Nostalgic Past...


Recommended Posts

Going back to the cork thing, I would say part of drinking wine is the 'corking' moment. So even if screwcap is more efficient or whatever, it lacks the romance of a cork. And drinking wine is to some extent about the romance I would say. Saying a screw cap is better is a bit like saying a sports car uses too much fuel and is overpowered etc. Sometimes being excessive/wasteful is the raison d'etre...

Link to post
Share on other sites

One solution would be to use a screw cap to seal the wine, and have a cork in there too, for the theatre. I love the sound of a cork coming out. MeJane, I never forget the corkscrew. I have a Swiss Army corkscrew with some handy dandy knife blades attached.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 months later...

I agree about screwtops being better than corks. But I cant see how banning and replacing them will help a carefully managed industry, its' just going to put hundreds or portugese out of work. Thats a pretty broad statement Tsondaboy, all the wines I tried in France last year were cheap and none dissapointed. Mind you my palate might not be as refined as some. Lastly, most people dont like champers cos its' too dry. Try the italian stuff. A really good spumante cant be beaten(not the plebbie plonk though.

Link to post
Share on other sites
 Originally Posted By: thursday
Screw tops stops the wines from maturing or getting to their best. It takes years od atmosphere permeation through the cork to do some maturing.


That's crap. Oxygen causes oxidisation of the wine = wine goes off.
Also, chemical residues in cork can make wine go-off.

Rubberised corks/screw caps prevent both above things happening = happy wine drinker.

I like the cap because it seals better when laid-down in the wine fridge = no leaks. (And when the cap goes missing, gee, just gotta empty the bottle!)
Link to post
Share on other sites
 Originally Posted By: Peter North
Anyone recommend their favorite champagne. I've tried a few but never really liked it.


yup. dom and krug are fabulous, but there's no need to shell out massive bucks to enjoy champagne. a bottle of non-vintage moet or veuve cliqout should only set you back about $50-$70 and won't disappoint.
there's also a whole range of champagne-style wine (ie tastes the same but not made in the champagne area of france) which are great to drink and only about $25-30. i don't know much about US wines, but any good liquor store could point you in the right direction

in australia i really like the grant burge sparkling pinot noir chardonnay. at about $25 a bottle it's great value, and i'm a total tightarse. i guzzle this by the case over the xmas period

27bottle.jpg

it also has the advantage of a well fancy and understated label, so it looks semi-posh
Link to post
Share on other sites
 Originally Posted By: thursday
atmosphere permeation will happen not matter how good the cork is. Wines will mature and mellow this way.

You keep drinking your screwtops. I'll drink my cork seal bottles.


If you look at the cork, it has another bit glued to the end - with the grain running horizontally. This end bit stops gas exchange and deters 'corking' of the wine (bad taste).

Wines maturation is dependent upon their chemical composition, not the exchange of gases outside the bottle.

However, like you suggested, we'll both enjoy our chosen poison ... mine will taste better, last longer, and save me dough though. wink.gif
Link to post
Share on other sites

Look, if you don't believe me, read this:

 

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=2535

 

"There is however one common point on which the wine industry agrees - it is up to the producer to decide how to close their wine. The conservative French wineries will have an important vote as they mature their wines in cellars for long periods, but at the moment they are not bowled over by the idea of breaking with tradition and throwing away the corkscrew - despite the benefits of reduced TCA.

 

Slow oxygenation is needed to age some types of wines and screw cap producers argue that wine is aged by oxygen in the wine itself and a tiny amount of residual air held between the cap and wine. But many producers remain resolute in their belief that oxygen is able to gradually seep through cork and into the bottle, and that this is the only way wine can mature. Some Bordeaux producers lay their wines for between five and 50 years - so it would be a long wait to see if screw caps were successful."

 

 

I'll stick to my cork sealed wines and save the screw caps for barbies.

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...