Cork vs twist-cap

First and foremost,I do not consider myself to be a chemist, physicist but simply a wine enthusiast who discovered the pleasure of drinking while stationed in Germany at 40 km from Strassburg Fr.
Over the years i have tried wines from several countries like many of you on this forum. More recently I have been attracted maybe because of the reasonable price to wine from Argentina. I was looking again this past week end on Bordeaux Primeurs 2010 and I simply can't go there anymore. Meanwhile I'll be enjoying the last 3 Bottles of Cos sitting in my EuroCave.

Two weeks ago guys from the office asked me if I would turn down a twist cap bottle if i was offered one. I took yup their challenge and got 2 bottle from Australia Shiraz: A Dead Arm and a St-Henri and invited a few friends to have a Showdown. Being a Photog/Cameraman teacher, I took that opportunity to post the event on my Blog Where I talk about trips, Mobile journalism, and now wine.
It was soo! much fun that I have decided to have a friendly wine review every two weeks.. (When pay check get dropped in the account.. )
So please bare with me on this epicurean experience, please post your comments and even if you have any suggestion of wine to be taste with certain meal, please share that with me too.
I intend to have a Video online of my findings shortly.
Check out my Blog if you have a minute: http://chrisonmojo.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to get you all better,
Chris C
Ottawa, Canada hey

Hi Chris and welcome

Maybe I have misread your first post here but it comes over to me that you are not inviting us to discuss the matter with you on this forum nor do you want to contribute anything about the tasting you did, but instead you want us to go over to your new blog and participate there.

I wonder how you'd feel if people used your blog only to advertise other sites?

I was sort of thinking the same thing too. I am always happy when I see a new poster here, but initially think it is better to introduce yourself first, say Hi, chat about level of wine-interest and then go from there.

Gents,

Thanks for your comments and I understand your point of view. Rest assure that I am not trying to jack this forum. I am sorry if it was the impression that I gave. I teach Broadcasting and New Media in Ottawa, and being in the media world and being a Wine lover, my intention is to not just to participate actively in a Forum that really interest me but also share my Small documentary, Photos and Wine experience thru new medias.
I will refrain from using my Blog URL
Cheers.

Chris

I think it is OK to display your blog URL. At least, ahem, I hope it is. I do - in my sig - and very occasionally in the body of a post if it seems relevant, or if I think it is of more interest than my usaul ramblings. But I personally would draw the line at asking people to go somewhere else to discuss wine, as that is the primary function of this group. Besides I think forums are a lot more suited for discussion.

Anyway, welcome, and I hope you'll stay around. I think you'll get a much better response if you start discussions and ask questions directly here.

[Robin Garr]

Allow me to both welcome Chris AND hail Steve's civil and appropriate commentary. Steve, you hit it on the head. And Chris, no harm, no foul. We're glad you are here!

Chris

I think it is OK to display your blog URL. At least, ahem, I hope it is. I do - in my sig - and very occasionally in the body of a post if it seems relevant, or if I think it is of more interest than my usaul ramblings. But I personally would draw the line at asking people to go somewhere else to discuss wine, as that is the primary function of this group. Besides I think forums are a lot more suited for discussion.

Anyway, welcome, and I hope you'll stay around. I think you'll get a much better response if you start discussions and ask questions directly here.

I'm disappointed! It seems nobody gets worked up over this question any more.

There was a time when this thread would already be 3 pages long...

From the perspective of a Australasian wine drinker I shy way from any bottle plugged up with a chunk of Cork oak bark. It is screwcaps all the way. At a tasting last week the bottle of a very nice champagne that was served to us was corked. Very disappointing!

I'm disappointed! It seems nobody gets worked up over this question any more.

There was a time when this thread would already be 3 pages long...

From the perspective of a Australasian wine drinker I shy way from any bottle plugged up with a chunk of Cork oak bark. It is screwcaps all the way. At a tasting last week the bottle of a very nice champagne that was served to us was corked. Very disappointing!

Yup. How things change in a short time.

I still vastly prefer a clean and correct screwcapped wine to one plugged up with a potentially nasty and foul tasting (but romantic!) piece of tree bark. Also nice not to require a corkscrew especially now when it's difficult to travel with a decent one because of air security measures. Fewer problems, less potential variability of spoilage and oxidation, and no unsightly crumbly bits of cork floaters (but romantic cork floaters!) too.

[David M. Bueker]

Welcome Chris.

Screwcaps certainly seem to be at critical mass these days. Europe is still lagging behind, but the rest of the world is really moving on alternative closures. I must admit that I am swayed towards the DIAM cork right now, but would really like to see how it works longer term before I totally switch my allegiance away from caps.

The glass "cork" seems to be slipping into oblivion. It had promise IMO.

[James Roscoe]

I really wanted to come in and post a straight-faced reply about how the cork industry had totally gotten rid of the TCA problem and that really corks were the best closure what with 200 years of tradition. Maybe Rogov will return to haunt us with his opinion.

I really wanted to come in and post a straight-faced reply about how the cork industry had totally gotten rid of the TCA problem and that really corks were the best closure what with 200 years of tradition. Maybe Rogov will return to haunt us with his opinion.

Yup, right about now The Great Curmudgeon would enter the fray---while all the time saying he didn't wish to get involved again---and announce he would never yield to screwcaps *harrumph*

[James Roscoe]

I really wanted to come in and post a straight-faced reply about how the cork industry had totally gotten rid of the TCA problem and that really corks were the best closure what with 200 years of tradition. Maybe Rogov will return to haunt us with his opinion.

Yup, right about now The Great Curmudgeon would enter the fray---while all the time saying he didn't wish to get involved again---and announce he would never yield to screwcaps *harrumph*

I miss him, even if he was wrong about the the screw caps. I suppose he can have all the wines with corks in them he wants now.

Hi Folks,
A couple days ago we opened a bottle of Dead Arm (mini 350ml) bottle, I had purchased a case a few years back. here was soo much residue in the bottom that even after pouring extra slowly thru a Vinturi, its still visible around the glass. I can't believe that this was all Cork degradation. Can it be the wine itself or I was thinking that that these small Bottle are bottled up with ends of barrel where residue may exist? any ideas?

Thanks,

Chris C
Ottawa Canada

[David M. Bueker]

The Dead Arm throws a lot of sediment. The Vinturi does not filter (it's just an aerator), so it would not remove it.

d'Arenberg indicates that there is no fining or filtration done for The Dead Arm. I suspect that most of their reds do not get filtered, so you would expect some deposits. It will have nothing to do with the cork/screwcap closure, or the size of the bottle.

http://www.darenberg.com.au/products/th ... e-dead-arm

Seen.
I'll take photo on the next little bottle ( the last one) i have will post it. IT was more sediment then one would see normally. I normally buy the 750, and the 1.5lts is in the cellar for the special happening.
Cheers,

Chris

David,

Seen on the venturi. However the Screen on the Venturi was half of it full after the 350ml bottle had been poured gently, to soe that s a bit much.
No matter Dead Arm , still on my favs list

Europe is still lagging behind, but the rest of the world is really moving on alternative closures.

Except for the Austrians, God bless 'em!

Hi Chris and welcome to WLDG.
I agree with all those that posted, un-fined and unfiltered wine might “throw” some sediment. I’ll have to disagree with Neil and say the “performance” of the enclosure and the size format of the bottle might play a role in all of this. Generally, as an un-fined and unfiltered wine matures, it will throw some sediment. The enclosure’s “performance” will somewhat play a role in determining what the bottle’s “environment” will be like, during the wine’s maturity process. Smaller format bottles generally mature faster than larger format bottles.

Salute

Hi Chris and welcome to WLDG.
I agree with all those that posted, un-fined and unfiltered wine might “throw” some sediment. I’ll have to disagree with Neil and say the “performance” of the enclosure and the size format of the bottle might play a role in all of this. Generally, as an un-fined and unfiltered wine matures, it will throw some sediment. The enclosure’s “performance” will somewhat play a role in determining what the bottle’s “environment” will be like, during the wine’s maturity process. Smaller format bottles generally mature faster than larger format bottles.

Salute

I agree that smaller format bottles under cork might generally mature faster than full bottles. But does the same hold for screwcaps?

Chris, what vintage was the wine from?

Was a 2004.

Neil wrote;
I agree that smaller format bottles under cork might generally mature faster than full bottles. But does the same hold for screw caps?

That would more or less depend upon the “liner”. (What is it made from and how is it designed and engineered?) A smaller volume (and bottle, assuming of course the thickness of the smaller bottle is approximately the same as the larger bottles), regardless of type of enclosure, will “respond” quicker to “ambient” temperature (or whatever temperature the wine is exposed too).

Salute

That would more or less depend upon the “liner”. (What is it made from and how is it designed and engineered?)
Salute

Good question. According to Wikipedia (so it MUST be correct, right?) says:

"The distinguishing features of wine screw caps, in particular Stelvin brand ones, are:

a long outside skirt, for aesthetics: to resemble the traditional wine capsule ("foil")
the use of the plastic PVDC(Polyvinylidene chloride) as a neutral liner on the inside wadding"

The “wadding” material of the laminated liner is the material that maintains the “seal” (in other words it most have good compression and expansion properties) between the layer of the liner that makes contact with the mouth of the bottle (and possible the wine itself). Some might find the following link interesting;
http://www.wineanorak.com/new_zealand_s ... ve.htm#top


Hey Neil, I see that Sue is listed under the “References” – (If she contributed), Heck it’s got to be true!

Salute