30 Second Wine Advisor: Plug ugly

[Robin Garr]

Plug ugly

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: In its battle with natural cork, the modern metal wine screw cap has won my heart. Air-tight and attractive in appearance, it protects the wine from oxidation while imparting no fungus-triggered anisoles that can fatally taint the wine.

As for the cork-shaped plastic stopper, I'm not so smitten. Although they may deter random natural-cork "taint," I'm increasingly convinced that they simply don't provide much shelf life.

The higher-tech synthetic, with a smooth cylinder surrounding a foamy interior, seems to work reasonably well for wine intended to be drunk up while it's young and fresh.

But as far as I'm concerned, the zombie-color solid plastic plug, the one that sticks to your corkscrew like a plastic lamprey, has failed to justify its place in the wine world.

Read the full article online, including a WTN of a Montpezat 2005 Palombieres Coteaux du Languedoc, a rustic red that would likely be wearing its years more gracefully under a more cellarworthy stopper.

Robin:

I agree!

What's more is these plastic corks tend to slide in and out of the neck when opening a bottle, and worse yet, I've had a nice Laguiole cork-screw broken by their tenacious, cement-like grip on the screw

Too much grip on the nice cork-screw, not enough on the bottle; they're bad news!

marco

Unfortunately producers in France, Italy and Germany who are worried about TCA still tend to shy away from screwcaps except for some bottlings for the US and UK markets. It is virtually impossible to get an European wine under screwcap here except from some Austrian producers. Jean Rijckaert of Mâcon and Jura, for example, admits that screwcaps give the best overall results, almost as good as GOOD natural cork and much more consistent, but seems to fear low sales because of their persistent cheap and nasty image in his core markets.

In Styria (Austria) a screw cap is already standard. There's only some vineyards that still use natural cork or glass for their top of the range wines

[Robin Garr]

Unfortunately producers in France, Italy and Germany who are worried about TCA still tend to shy away from screwcaps except for some bottlings for the US and UK markets.

Tim, this seems odd in that, as far as I recall, the Stelvin - dominant modern screwcap brand - is made by Pecheney, a French firm. I wonder what's up with that.

There are some upmarket versions out in the market these days, though I still have serious doubts until it's proven they can facilitate decent ageing and also don't taint the wines (something that the plastics I've seen to date fail on one or both counts).

Maybe (just maybe) a good product might fail because of the unsuitability of the forerunners? I know that I'm predisposed to not trusting plastic seals.

regards

Ian

[James Roscoe]

I am totally with Robin on this one. If it has a fake cork or even a composite cork, drink it up quickly. The screw caps, especially the stelvins are the wave of the future!

As to our old buddy Stuart, didn't he get out of the neocork business? Too bad he isn't around anymore to let us know. I hope one day He and Cynthia will be able to rejoin us. They had a lot to offer.

Robin-
I had the 2005 Montpezat recently and like you, was somewhat disappointed in the wine. In fact, I suspect we purchased them at the same shop. Not terrible, just not a lot of interest. Sort of boring. I also recall saying something like "Oh Shucks" when I removed the foil and saw that plastic cork. I probably would not have purchased the wine had I known the closure.

Jimmy-
AFAIK, Stuart is out of the Neocork business and has been for a while. I'd also like to see him and Cynthia return, but understand their reasons for not doing so.

Winger

[James Roscoe]

Robin-
I had the 2005 Montpezat recently and like you, was somewhat disappointed in the wine. In fact, I suspect we purchased them at the same shop. Not terrible, just not a lot of interest. Sort of boring. I also recall saying something like "Oh Shucks" when I removed the foil and saw that plastic cork. I probably would not have purchased the wine had I known the closure.

Jimmy-
AFAIK, Stuart is out of the Neocork business and has been for a while. I'd also like to see him and Cynthia return, but understand their reasons for not doing so.

Winger

Thanks "winger. I always hold out hope!

If I see a plastic cork. I better not be payin' more than $10! Just sayin'!

I also hate this type of stopper. The reason is that as they are used to store wines that are less inclined to age, yet they still use the same cap on the bottle, meaning I can't see it. If I knew that a wine used this closure, I want to know so that I will NOT age this wine and will pop it asap.

I recognize the picture of the plastic cork since I sell this wine in Oregon. There are some brands of the plastic corks that are better than others as far as pulling them. I still would love to see most everything in stelvin. I have had several 2003 New Zealand Pinot Noirs that seem to have done very well. I have also read comments that there is supposed to be a reduction problem with up to 20%. I just don't see that in all the wines I have had under stelvin I rarely see this. I also have had no issues with the Diam corks. I have kept count and I am at 385 and no TCA. Here in Oregon we would probably see more stelvins but many don't wish to change over theirbottling lines.

I will not comment about screwcaps here but I will say that the closure that drives me absolutely bonkers is the plastic one that comes in dark purple. I suppose it's something in my deep subconscious but as those withdraw from the bottle I am quite certain that they will be followed by worms of the same color and diameter.

For years a byword of gastronomy has been : "Don't serve purple food". I would propose the same be held true for bottle closures.

Best
Rogov

For years a byword of gastronomy has been : "Don't serve purple food". I would propose the same be held true for bottle closures.

Sooooo, I'm thinking you're not a big fan of eggplant and those purple fingerling potatoes you can get in the produce market, eh?

nor purple sprouting broccoli, let alone the majestic beetroot. To arms, Purple revolutionaries

I don't understand. The reason why we are all here is because of cork. Every single great wine, every quaffer we all have ever had was sealed by cork. We owe a ton to cork.

I had an aged Tuscan cabernet sealed with one of those latex corks that are hard to pull out. It tasted like plastic funk. Same with a white wine that was aged 4 years. Are you kidding me? You want to replace a gift of nature? Natural comes with hazards. So what? I'm with cork now and forever.

Every single great wine, every quaffer we all have ever had was sealed by cork.

You perhaps. Not so for me.

Change happens. Sometimes it's good; sometimes it isn't. But it happens.

And to say that because we've done things one way doesn't mean it's necessarily the best way.

You apparently think that to be great a wine must have a cork. I say that wine is sometimes (often) great in spite of having a cork.

And I'm more interested in the wine than the cork.

That's why I have reservations about the cork now. And forever is an awfully long time.

Daniel,
Don't you drink wines made from purple grapes?

[James Roscoe]

Daniel,
Don't you drink wines made from purple grapes?

Those grapes are deep, deep red JC.

Maybe you can "skin" by on that one.
James, did you see my note about an offline May 21 or 22?

Daniel,
Don't you drink wines made from purple grapes?

Nice once JC

I’m not trying to speak for Agostino, but as “present-day” wine drinkers I think we should all acknowledge or recognize the importance of natural cork as an enclosure and the evolution of the binning bottle in the development of the fine wine we drink today. Whether or not if the enclosure is “attractive” or “romantic” should not be a major concern of the wine consumer and buyer. IMHO the enclosure is much more than “packaging”, it plays (maybe I should say that its function plays) a vital role in determining how a wine will evolve until the day it is opened. Choosing the proper enclosure is the last of the winemaking decisions a winemaker has to make or should make. The problem I have is- who is actually making the call?
I agree with some of the others, because the enclosure is much more than just “packaging”, one should be told what type of enclosure is being used (especially when it comes to natural cork or synthetic, and in the case of screw caps what type of liner is used). As James noted the price of the wine might be a clue, or the back label itself might be a clue.

Salute

Salient points all, Victor.

I most certainly acknowledge the role cork has played as a closure for wine for many, many years. For quite a long time it was undoubtedly the best possible closure to protect wine, and to ensure that some wines could age and develop well.

I also acknowledge that cork continues to function in this regard and, due to the cork industry finally being forced to deal with issues they didn't want to recognize or remediate until they had to, that cork is now better than before.

I also recognize and acknowledge that there are perfectly good alternatives to cork closure that might do as good as, if not a significantly better job than, cork. In that case, I see no reason to stick to cork, with its inherent deficiencies. You see, unlike Agostino, I'm more interested in the wine than I am the closure; and there's no reason to stick to antiquity if antiquity doesn't do as good a a job.

And I totally agree that a buyer should be made aware...somehow...of what the closure is before purchasing the wine.