WTN: Death to natural corks!

Yesterday I opened my last bottle of 1989 Clos St. Landelin Grand Cru Vorbourg Tokay d'Alsace Selection des Grains Nobles. The penultimate bottle, opened last month, was a pleasant surprise. I'm used to thinking of pinot gris as a no-op grape variety, "mostly harmless" as the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy has it. This had a (for me) surprisingly complex aroma and flavor, still lively after 20+ years, and the balance one expects from a well-made wine from a top producer in Alsace.

I suspected there was something wrong with this last bottle when I saw the brown color in the glass. The first sniff and sip confirmed my fears--maderized. That in itself I could have forgiven--it is after all my fault that I let it coast past its peak. And I like Sherry and Madeira. But this wine was also very badly corked. It says something when TCA aromas can get past the botrytis and other concentrated aromas of an Alsatian SGN. I took a second small sip just to be sure, and the rest of the bottle went down the sink. This is the first bottle I'm awarding a Joe Besser on the Three Stooges rating system.

I'm getting tired of having great wines ruined by corks.

-Paul W.

Must've been something in the air yesterday; I lost a middle-aged Barolo to the Quercus Menace.

Condolences.

“Must've been something in the air yesterday”

Those damn FILAMENTOUS FUNGI!!!!

Salute

Totally agree. Get over the corks people. 18th century technology. We can do better. Is there any other industry in the world that would accept the amount of ruined product that wine people do?

Is there any other industry in the world that would accept the amount of ruined product that wine people do?

OIive oil?

Most of the stuff that gets shipped to supermarkets is really old and really far from tasting like olive oil. Beer can also be tough to get through reliable distribution channels.

Not the same issue as a flawed closure, but still.

I think he means 'ruined by the packaging,' as opposed to 'bad in the first place' or 'mis-handled.' I don't know of another industry would accept it. The good olive oils I buy these days are largely using a screw-cap.

[Robin Garr]

What do you folks think of Diam? I'm seeing an awful lot of them closing $15 to $25 European wines lately, many of the AFWE style, and I haven't had a tainted one yet.

What do you folks think of Diam? I'm seeing an awful lot of them closing $15 to $25 European wines lately, many of the AFWE style, and I haven't had a tainted one yet.

Recently got back from Oregon and had many chats about the Diam. I think they are the real deal this time. Keep hope alive!

The thing with Diam is they have a few different levels of how much oxygen is let it. So this is a new level of wine making decision.

It is flat out ridiculous that we have corked wines. I am hoping Diam will fix this.

Cheers,

Jason

Jason wrote:
The thing with Diam is they have a few different levels of how much oxygen is let it. So this is a new level of wine making decision.

Not really new, it’s just that the alternative enclosures are now being designed and engineered to function more like a high quality natural cork (when it comes to oxygen transfer rate). Now the only thing to worry about is if the components of the alternative enclosure could scalp (absorb) flavor and aroma compounds from the wine.

Does milk taste better in glass, cartons, or plastic?

Salute

[Robin Garr]

Does milk taste better in glass, cartons, or plastic?

Glass.

Hi Robin,
You don’t remember those “weird” shaped glass quart milk bottles? My father always tells how he would fight with my Aunt Honey-girl for the cream on top.

Salute

I've had excellent luck with Diam. I still prefer screwcap, but Diam is an excellent alternative. I have never had a bad bottle under Diam.

Lost another one last night to TCA: 1999 Chevillon Nuits-St.-Georges Les St. Georges 1er Cru. The cork taint was intolerable, especially because I know what the wine is supposed to be like. The good news is that I had another bottle, and that one was excellent (double Curly, with potential for improvement with more time). The bad news is that the replacement was my last bottle.

-Paul W.