WineBoard
Why not? - Printable Version

+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: GENERAL (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-100.html)
+--- Forum: For the Novice (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-2.html)
+--- Thread: Why not? (/thread-18956.html)



- *newbie* - 01-02-2001

OK.....since I am a newbie, I may just be missing the boat on this subject. I purchased a bottle of Beringer Merlot and after trying that I followed that up with a bottle of Chardonay from Beringer. As I opened both bottles I noticed that they (Beringer) had put just enough wax on cork to cover the top. That got me wondering why everyone else doesn't do that??? If corked wine is due to bad cork wood that allows air into the bottle then why not eliminate relying on the cork alone? Simply add a dab of wax on the top. Heck, it makes sense to me. I could see some of the extremely affluent wine drinkers snubbing thier noses at this practice because any great wine that they would drink could not have bad corks. What is the opinion of the BBS?

Doug (flame suit on)


- hotwine - 01-02-2001

I suspect many (if not most) wineries once sealed their corks with red wax, and that the current practice of enclosing the top of the bottle in foil is a fairly recent innovation, probably driven by cost. Maybe some of our members who are or have been wine producers will shed more light on the subject.


- mrdutton - 01-02-2001

Hey Doug, take the suit off. I don't think anyone here will flame you for your comments.

You said: If corked wine is due to bad cork wood that allows air into the bottle then why not eliminate relying on the cork alone? Simply add a dab of wax on the top.

Please read some of the other postings about corked wine. I think you will find out that there is a difference between wine that is corked and wine that has been oxidized because the cork was dried-out and had shrunk some in the bottle's neck.

Corked wine is caused by a bacteria that is present in some cork. The bacteria reacts with the wine and causes the the wine to become less than flavorful.

Oxidation can do the same; make the wine less than flavorful. But the chemical changes that occur in the wine are not the same.

There are some very good posts here, on the wine board, that discuss these issues in detail. Use the wine board's search engine.

Enter "corked" and see what you get. Read those posts.

Then enter, "oxidized" or "oxygen" and see what information you can gleen from the posts related to that search.

Good Luck!!!

OOPS, Sorry for the inaccuracy. There is a bit of a difference between a bacterium and a mold. RE: Bucko's post below.

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 01-03-2001).]


- Bucko - 01-02-2001

Here is part of an article that I wrote for the Olympian on the subject. Hope it helps:

Put a cork in it!
Or do we really want to?

Natural cork is quite remarkable. It is lightweight, elastic and impermeable to air and liquids. Cork is the bark of Quercus Suber, the cork oak tree, which grows in the Western Mediterranean. Portugal is the leading producer of cork, producing over 50% of the world's supply, followed by Spain and North Africa. Cork bark is harvested from trees that are at least 25 years of age. Once the cork is removed, it takes nine to ten years for the tree to regrow its bark. The cork is aged for several months, then processed, sorted, and sliced into strips. Individual corks are punched out, go through a washing process, then they are dried to 8% moisture to help prevent mold growth.

Corks can easily become contaminated with native mold. If left to grow on the cork, the mold can produce a byproduct during the processing and washing called TCA (trichloroanisole). While it will ruin your wine, TCA is harmless to the consumer. Wine tainted by a bad cork will develop a damp cellar or musty aroma. Wet cardboard or dank flavors overwhelm the wine's nuances and rob it of its fruit. This is referred to as a "corked" wine. The human threshold levels for TCA can vary widely among individuals. Experienced tasters can detect TCA in parts per trillion, while others will only pick it up in parts per billion. Even if you cannot identify the corkiness, the wine will seem dull and lifeless, with little fruit. Don’t be shy about sending a wine back if you encounter this at a restaurant.

Estimates are that 5-6% of all wines produced become corked. Wineries are beginning to look for other options. In a bold move, Northern California producer, PlumpJack Winery, unveiled its 1997 Reserve Cabernet. The wine sells for $135 a bottle and will feature a screw-top cap instead of the traditional cork.

Consumers have always associated screw-caps with cheap, inferior wine. There is no "romance" involved with opening a wine with a screw-top, no fancy corkscrew, no age-old tradition, and this has been a cause of resistence to the closure. However, screw-cap polymer liners have an extremely long track record in the food and wine industry for neutrality and stability.

Seeking a middle-ground, many wineries have switched to synthetic corks. This retains tradition of wine ceremony without the worry of corked wines. The synthetic closure is made of a FDA-approved thermoplastic elastomer that is also known for its use in heart valves and catheters. Though the jury is still out, it is thought that synthetic corks will keep wines fresh for at least 20 years.


- Thomas - 01-03-2001

Bucko's article on the matter sums it up nicely.

On the subject of tradition, pharmaceuticals used cork stoppers long before the wine industry in Europe. The reason: tradition; wine people were uninterested in letting go the traditional methods of capping wine, which included olive oil capped with a wax sealer.

Many in the wine business believe that screw caps (think soda pop) are efficient, clean and harmless to wine, but that the wine-consuming public will not accept them because they break with tradition.

I believe the tradition the wine industry is afraid to break (pulling and popping the cork) is part of the mystique of wine and that mystique is also part of why few American consumers are willing to give wine a try. If I am correct, then breaking tradition might open up wine to more consumers. But then, I have been known to utter heresy!


- mrdutton - 01-03-2001

I would not be adverse to buying wine sealed with a screw-cap. I noticed in the above posts that there was some thought that the synthetic cork would provide a good seal for at least twenty years. What about the screw-cap? Is there any longevity information on that closure/sealing device?

Frankly, I don't like the wax sealed corks and I don't like the synthetic corks. The wax interferes with my screwpull and makes the operation of removing the cork significantly more difficult. The synthetic cork is worse, in my opinion. Often, when I use my screwpull, the screw backs out of the synthetic cork and the cork remains in the bottle. Plus it seems to recover from the penetration, as the small hole from the cork screw appears to get smaller and even disappear. No wonder that stuff is used in artificial heart valves; it is tough!


- Drew - 01-03-2001

Mike....sounds like you need an OXO CORKSCREW! Right WW?

Drew


- winoweenie - 01-04-2001

Mike, I think you need to cultivate friends like Drew has that`ll give you 14 different corkscrews on your next birthday. `Specially the OXO that has " A comfy handle" winoweenie


- chittychattykathy - 01-05-2001

LOL!!!!!!!!


- mrdutton - 01-05-2001

I went my local wine shop and they didn't have any OXOs. All they had were screwpulls and waiter's friends with those little bees on them. You know, the ones that cost about $100.00 or more......

Guess I'll have to wait for my birthday and Drew's charity!

Meanwhile, have screwpull.... will open.....


- janrob - 01-06-2001

As some of the members have alluded to, wax would not prevent 'corked' wine. Traditionally, wax served as a perfect air tight seal in such bottles as Vintage ports, long after the corks disintegrated. However I suspect the reason for the wax on the new wide lipped bottles like the Beringer is more for cosmetics and consumer appeal since it's just a dab on top.