30 Second Wine Advisor: One picture, 1,000 words

[Robin Garr]

One picture, 1,000 words

The picture above really does tell a remarkable story, offering a dramatic pictorial follow-up on my discussion last week about alternative wine-bottle closures ("Plug ugly," April 9, 2010).

What's it about? All 14 bottles contain identical samples of a Leasingham Estate 1999 Clare Valley Semillon, all cellared together for a decade. The colors tell the tale that 10 years of aging wrote: They range all the way from watery pale to a dank, dead dark brown.

The bottle on the left, perfect in color (and reportedly in taste), was closed with a sturdy Stelvin-brand metal screw cap. All the others are plugged with a variety of natural and processed cork or synthetic stoppers. If this doesn't close the case, it makes a mighty strong argument to the jury.

I'm indebted for this material to my buddies at Old Bridge Cellars, which I've long admired as an importer of Australian wines that I consistently enjoy. Within minutes after last week's 30 Second Wine Advisor went out in Email, Old Bridge's business development and public relations manager, Shae Cooney, got in touch with a load of photos and information.

Read the full Wine Advisor article online

View the Old Bridge report, with more pictures of the wines at various stages, in PDF format

I was absolutely thrilled to read this article. I've long been a fan of the screwcap over the cork, so hearing scientific justification for my opinion is awesome - especially since I recently came under fire on my blog for espousing my opinion that corks suck (www.melpriestley.com). I was mainly arguing about TCA contamination, and I have since learned that the numbers of this are often greatly exaggerated. New innovations in cork technology have resulted in a very low (around 1%) rate of TCA contamination in wines sealed with a cork (within the last decade or so, anyway).

However, this study clearly shows that corks are still coming up far behind screwcaps in their ability to guarantee a fresh bottle after several years of cellaring. I would love to see more of these types of studies done, especially with red wine.

I was very impressed by this long range study. It clearly shows the results of various capping methods. I would think that other studies are being done in the same manner, and would love to see those results, too. I agree that a study of reds would be very helpful, and my guess is that the results might differ from a more delicate white, but the proof would be in the study.

[David M. Bueker]

My opinions on this subject are well known, so I will refrain from lengthy comment, except to say that I am glad to see the study and its rather convincing results.

That being said, I have no doubt that this study will not convince any of die hard screw cap haters, as it was not a 30 year aging experiment with Chateaux Margaux as the test wine.

I have not yet had the time to read the study (will do that later), but given the timing it seems that a DIAM cork would not have been included. I have some hope for those, as the few I have been exposed to have done their job well in the short term. Given some degree of market prejudice I hope they also work for mid to longer term.

Maybe it's the lack of a punt in the left-hand bottle that really made the difference

But there's no romance in the first bottle, as you can clearly see from the picture. (Just good wine, and who cares about that!)

A truly noble experiment but I will ask why I have a great many ten year and older Burgundy and Chateauneuf whites all sealed with cork and still quite drinkable indeed.

As to romance, which most certainly has its place in wine, I'll leave that for another time.

Best
Rogov*


*That old-fashioned near-Luddite curmudgeon who continues to live in dread of the day he dines at Alain Ducasse in Monte Carlo and the sommelier brings to my table a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem, and then I hear the scruuuunch of an opening screw cap.

A truly noble experiment but I will ask why I have a great many ten year and older Burgundy and Chateauneuf whites all sealed with cork and still quite drinkable indeed.

As to romance, which most certainly has its place in wine, I'll leave that for another time.

Best
Rogov*


*That old-fashioned near-Luddite curmudgeon who continues to live in dread of the day he dines at Alain Ducasse in Monte Carlo and the sommelier brings to my table a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem, and then I hear the scruuuunch of an opening screw cap.

And should I be so fortunate as to be there with the near-Luddite curmudgeon, a situation I would quite like, I would have neither fear nor dread to hear said scruuunch of an opening screw cap. Although I would be quite surprised to hear that noise from a Ducasse sommelier, since it is gauche and uncalled for. At best a subtle and genteel muted click as the sommelier deftly twists the bottle while holding the cap, then quietly whirls it off to proudly pour and present a wine a superb wine which has been maintained by superior closure techniques to last until the curmudgeon and his companions can enjoy it. (I'm assuming we will have at least two lissome and lovely companions doting (and the word might be appropriate by that time, more for us than the lissome companions) on our every word of wisdom.)

A truly noble experiment but I will ask why I have a great many ten year and older Burgundy and Chateauneuf whites all sealed with cork and still quite drinkable indeed.

And as to that, perhaps one might consider that these bottles are all of Australian semillon, which shows a propensity for reaction to the smallest amount of oxygen ingress---and thus might be particularly suitable for an experiment to show results visually.

And I'd actually be less interested than the visual---although that is markedly dramatic---than the other assessments.

The article stated that Jamie Goode has followed the “trial closely”. How close? I can’t seem to get to the link provided, nor find it on Jamie’s blog (I believe he is at the point of moving it right now). It would be nice to see someone’s (of Jamie Goode’s caliber) tasting notes of all the wines side by side- upon “release”, “28 months after bottling”, “63 months after bottling” and “125 months after bottling”. So you tell me what he thought of a wine at 125 months after bottling- (how much info was given to the man prior to tasting?). What did he think about the wine “upon release”, “28 months after bottling” and “63 months after bottling”?

Salute

Robin, the picture is spectacular but I don't think that, by itself, it tells us anything that we didn't know already, namely that screwcap gives consistently good results for certain dry white wines up to 10 years, that natural corks are inconsistent and that synthetic corks are mostly unreliable beyond a few months. (BTW, what closure was used on the second bottle from the left? It is almost indistinguishable from the first.)

I agree with Victor in wanting more information.

[Robin Garr]

I agree with Victor in wanting more information.

Shae at Old Bridge is going to get me those details, but they're in Oz, where apparently the vintage is underway at the moment. I'll share any further information I get, promise!

Is this to say that as a young wine drinker, I need not be afraid of a cheap bottle with a screw cap? It seems that only the more economical wines have a screw cap at the local wine distributor.

[David M. Bueker]

Is this to say that as a young wine drinker, I need not be afraid of a cheap bottle with a screw cap? It seems that only the more economical wines have a screw cap at the local wine distributor.

You certainly do not need to fear a screw cap. Also if there are only cheap wines under screw cap at your local shop that is due to the shop, as many wines beyond the budget level have moved to screw cap over the last few years.

The cheap wines aren't intended for aging so don't plan on holding on to them for ten years, five years or even three years in most cases. But, as David said, some quality wines are now bottled with Stelvin screw cap. New Zealand has been a leader in the industry and Argyle (in Oregon) uses screw cap on most (all?) of their non-sparkling wines.

[David M. Bueker]

Quick clarification: not all screw caps are Stelvins. Screw cap is the generic term and Stelvin is a specific brand.

While we are discussing alternatives to corks, what do you all think about box wines? I had one tonight that I enjoyed and wondered if you all see that as the future of wine?

Walter:

Wouldn't say it was "the future of wine", but I would say that for modest and straightforward wines---the kinds of wine you might want to drink on an everybody basis, or serve at a small bistro as a house wine, would do well as box wines. Once again the French are way ahead of us on that, where the so so sophisticated Americans are just now showing they might be ready for that.

I don't think the vast middle ground of the American public is ready yet to shift over to b.i.b. wines, and totally away from glass bottles yet though. Don't think the market will shift that fast, and don't think the "average consumer" that consitutes the bulk of the business is anywhere ready to accept it either.

Whereas, I think the consumer is poised to accept---and has proven that they WILL accept screwcaps with suprisingly little fuss.

[David M. Bueker]

As a frequent business traveler on meager expense accounts I would love to see a broader use of BiB in restaurants for some decent by the glass pours. When I am alone on the road I almost never order a full bottle of wine, and so many by the glass pours are hopelessly oxidized that I generally switch to the local micro-brews (if available) or a Sam Adams. I would prefer wine but it's often not worth the frustration.