Corks - A Tale of Geek Obsession

When we last left the endless and friendless question of wine closures, I had just made a bold and impassioned plea for natural cork. Well . . . maybe it seemed bold because the bottle of Barolo coursing through my bloodstream made it appear so. I've since had the opportunity to look myself in the face and see the man I've become and it wasn't pretty. I've been around the world AND around the block. I've seen things that would make bad men blush and various body parts curl and here I was, getting excited by corks! Not just by corks, but by all the other people who were equally as excited and who responded with equally impassioned (though not nearly as bold) counter arguments.

“You don't know what you're talking about . . .”

“Five thousand years of wine making and tree bark is the best we can do?”

“You suck!”

Okay, maybe not the last one—our readers are much too classy—but these were the sentiments echoed, if not the words. Hmm, thought I, this warranted more consideration. So I did what you would expect me to do, I researched. I tore into the subject like a Raymond Chandler shamus pulling his roscoe and squirting metal into the belly of a low-life wiseguy. I investigated with vigor.

Cork or screw-top? Natural or synthetic? Is there really a right way to answer? Well, it depends on what you're looking for. Wine makers looking to retain a bright fruitiness to their wines prefer screw-tops. Victor Abascal, Vines on the Marycrest, knows the taste he wants from his wine and it's best delivered with a Stelvin screw-top. “With cork, our wines would age at an accelerated rate.” These wines aren't meant to be laid down. But it's also about the contamination rate. “I saw the bad luck my friends were having with contaminated corks, so we started off right away with screw-tops. Our experience has been very positive.” Victor is joined in this evaluation by producers such as Hogue Cellars, Beringer, Bonny Doon and most of New Zealand.

Patrick Spencer, director of Cork ReHarvest and Willamette Valley Vineyards in Oregon has witnessed the flight to cork alternatives and sees the wounds to the cork industry as self-inflicted. Despite an 8–10 percent TCA-taint rate, “The cork industry sat on its heels. There was no high motivation to change.” Now, faced with the existential threat of the new closures, the cork industry has embraced research and spent millions reducing contaminated rates closer to 1–2 percent. But Spencer is passionate about the efforts of Cork ReHarvest, an organization that works to recycle some of the 13 billion corks produced each year. “Equally important is our work to educate the public about the Mediterranean cork forests. These forests contain one of the world's highest levels of forest biodiversity.” It's almost unthinkable to him that this recyclable product could be replaced by an aluminum industry that depends on the open-pit mining of bauxite. “If people could see the kind of damage this does to the third world and the people who live nearby these mines . . .” he said, his voice trailing off in astonishment.

Unfortunately for the cork industry, harvesting cork is costly and time consuming. A cork tree isn't ready for “stripping” for its first 25 years. And then its first two harvests (with a nine year span in between) are considered insufficient quality for wine corks. That's about 43 years before a cork tree's quality has matured and its purpose realized. It is not a short term investment. The life of a cork tree is more than 150 years so the math suggests 13–15 harvests. If you decide to grow cork yourself, you better hope your grandchildren will want to, also.

Patrick Davies, the winemaker for Eagle Castle Winery in Paso Robles, Calif., simply wants to use the appropriate closure for the appropriate wine. His company uses agglomerate, synthetic, and natural cork closures depending on the price point of the wine. “We don't shy away from screw-tops, but we recognize wine is an emotionally driven product. Corks have become romanticized.” Although synthetic corks have been criticized for an inability to protect the wine from oxidation for any real length of time, again, these wines are not for laying down. “We use natural cork for something that's going to lay for seven years or more,” Davies said. “The red wines I've produced at Eagle Castle are primarily for extended aging, so we'll find natural cork in about 3/4 of our reds, and in maybe 1/4 we'll use agglomerate.”

For every wine maker who knows exactly they want, there are that many undecided about how to get there. Peter Fanucchi of Fanucchi Vineyards in California's Russian River Valley is one such person on the edge. “I've wanted to get away from cork for a very long time . . . I am frustrated that even though I spend the extra time and money to get the cleanest corks I still run across tainted bottles. Usually it's only 'lightly tainted' so as to dull my normally bright fruit leaving it 'drinkable' but ordinary—something I or a very good fan of my wines may be able to detect knowing how the wine is suppose to taste—but if this is the first impression someone else has of my wine this reflects badly on me.”

For more than 3,000 years there has been a special relationship between cork and wine, whether in clay amphora or glass bottle. Wine has fascinated because wine, like life, never stops moving. It is ever changing, ever evolving. The micro-oxygenation properties of cork lend to this process, and to arrest that development with the finality of aluminum screw-tops gives both advantages and creates liabilities. Some say it leads to higher levels of “sulpher stink” while others praise its dependability.

Marketing worries also factor into the equation. Surveys still show a strong preference for cork, but the problems of natural cork can't be ignored and shouldn't be minimized. "Corked" rates have been too high for too long to be acceptable. There is also ritual in wine opening. One can certainly be suave with a Laguiole, but matching flash for dash are any number of screw-top advocates who can open a bottle with a dramatic enough flourish to delight any diner. Which is best? Cork or screw-cap? Natural or synthetic? Who can say but the winemaker? Like any artist it is an inner state they are trying to communicate, a vision for their wine. They must be the first ones pleased or they cannot please anyone. Choosing a closure that best delivers their vision balanced by an economic realism seems a sure ticket to success, but it is ultimately for the consumer to decide. How can you not get excited about that sort of thing?

—Campione

about.com / storing wines.

Wikipedia.com / wine closures

Wikipedia.com / wine closures

Alice Redux - Glass basics- part 2,

“"We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine." —–Eduardo Galeano (author and Uruguayan)

Previously, I gave you the down and dirty about glassware. In Part 2, I give you the clean and squeaky—along with the shapes and sizes you should focus on for your collection and tips for their care. Redundant, perhaps, for many of our readers but vital to our newer friends.

Let's begin at the beginning—with the cleaning and care of glassware. You'll be doing a lot more than just buying glasses (hopefully) but if you're a novice you should know what you're getting into. Sadly, even many long-time wine drinkers ignore this detail of the wine experience—to their own detriment (the poor wretches). I want to save you from this oversight right from the start.

The first thing to do is forget the dishwasher. Wine glasses are special and need to be treated that way. This is an operation that demands the delicate touch of a human being, not the harsh, unfeeling arm of an automated dish washing machine (boo hiss...). Of course, for everything else, the dishwasher is perfect.

Next, you'll want to stay away from, or at lease minimize, your use of liquid soaps. They're just begging to leave a film on your glassware. You can make them work in small amounts, just rinse the bejeebers out of 'em. I would recommend Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (sodium carbonate); absent that—use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). The washing soda is a little more caustic, but effective. And don't be stingy with the rinsing. I have friends who do nothing but rinse. Water sterilizes at 175°F (80°C) and if you do it long enough, there (probably) shouldn't be a problem. It just sounds icky. In a former life as a scientific glassblower, the method was to submerge the piece being cleaned into a small vat with a 5% hydrofluoric acid solution, followed by a thorough rinse with deionized water, and then a final rinse with pharmaceutical-grade isopropyl alcohol and then air dry—no spots guaranteed, it's just a lot of work. I say air dry and then polish with a lint-free cloth. (I've heard micro fabric works well.) This stuff is really exciting if you have OCD. And of course, I believe you should always give your glass (when practical) a wine rinse before drinking.

Now for the fun part, buying the glasses. In her wonderful book, The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil shares some great tips. Among others:

• Only buy wineglasses you can afford to break. If you're spending $50 per glass it means you'd never use them—buy ones that are less expensive.

• Buy more glasses than you think you'll need. Glasses do break. And besides, there may be times when you want to serve two different zinfandels side by side for comparison.

• Consider buying one great style of wineglass that can be used for both red and white wines.

• Buy glasses that are absolutely clear and smooth, not faceted, to show off the depth and the richness of the wine's color.

• Make sure the glass has a thin rim so that the wine glides over it easily into your mouth and you don't feel like you have to chew on the glass to get to the wine.

• Choose a glass with a stem long enough to give you something to hold other than the bowl. Holding the glass around the bowl can warm the wine

Here is a basic description of a few of the different types of glasses for drinking different types of wines. To see examples visit www.the-gift-of-wine.com/wine_glasses.html, www.surlatable.com/, and www.wineglassguide.com/

CHAMPAGNE

If you're going to have only one other glass beside a general, all-purpose red/white wine glass, a champagne flute would be it. There will always be special occasions to mark with Champagne or sparkling wine and the flute's distinctive, tapered shape sets it apart. Designed to enhance and preserve all those tiny bubbles, the flute should hold between 6 and 8 ounces.

The flute is vastly superior to the champagne coupe, the shape of which is especially useful in building novelty pyramids at weddings and conventions, and is most often filled via a waterfall effect from large bottles. The coupe releases the bubbles too quickly and the sparkling wine goes flat sooner than necessary. It should be avoided. The relatively modern design of the champagne tulip, with its outward mid-glass flair and more narrow mouth is becoming popular. Conceding more space for swirling, the tulip focuses the aromas toward your sniffer.

WHITE WINE If finances are a concern (or if you're just cheap on principle) and you're going to own only one glass, this is it, baby. For a chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, it's perfect. If you're toasting with Champagne, eh...it's better than a jelly jar. Red wine still pours in and flows out easily and Ports aren't lost in a Bordeaux glass, fish-bowl-like expanse. It's versatile, but still robs you of as complete an experience as you could have. White wine glasses should hold between 8 and 12 ounces (err toward a larger size).

RED WINE Bordeaux. This is the glass you'll see most often in the wine world, especially if you're into reds. Some of these monsters are large enough to hold the contents of an entire bottle (750 ml or 24 ounces), but you should only fill the glass to the level of its widest diameter. This provides maximum aeration (the wide round bowl allows the wine to breathe), while funneling all aromas to your nose. With as big a bowl as this, swirling is easier. If you're a novice this is a big plus. You might not be a worldly sophisticate yet, but if you learn how to swirl smoothly, you can look like one. This glass should hold at least 12 ounces.

Burgundy. Having a wider bowl than the Bordeaux glass and yet a more narrow mouth helps collect the more delicate aromas and bouquet of the Burgundian wines, such as Pinot Noir.

OTHER GLASSES Cordial or liqueur. These glasses are mainly used for an aperitif (to enhance the appetite) such as vermouth or bitters (e.g., Campari, Cinzano), maybe Greek ouzo, sherry, or the French Lillet (lee-láy); or an after dinner digestivo (to aid in digestion,) such as amari, port, or grappa. These glasses usually hold 2 to 4 ounces. Sherry. Unless I'm in Spain visiting the bodegas, I tend to ignore sherrys. Nothing personal, I'm just not that into them. It's nice to have special glasses for sherry, but a cordial glass works just as well. This glass should hold about six ounces.

Port. Port glasses are like sherry glasses. Nice if you have the extra cash, but not necessarily worth it, in my opinion. A white wine glass suffices well for judging bouquet and tasting. But hey, I'm cheap! If you've got the bucks, go ahead and spend a little cash! A nice set of Port glasses are always a pleasure to own.

Whatever glassware you purchase, take care of it! It's glass, and the chances of its breaking are pretty high. And if it does break, try to remain philosophical about it. Maybe it's your husband or wife who doesn't need to hear a cross word. Maybe it's just some college kid trying too hard to impress. Remember, we were all the new kids, once.

One last word concerning the lead in leaded glass. Recent studies done at North Carolina State University have indicated lead leaching over a relatively short period of time when in contact with acidic liquids. A few hours at a dinner party is not going to give anyone a problem, but store that port in your favorite cut lead-crystal decanter for a few weeks and...well, how bullet-proof do you feel?

References: MacNeil, 2001. The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing Co., New York Koplan, Smith, & Weiss, 2002. Exploring Wine. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.

Remember campers, there was a time when we were all the new kids at school and each of us got on the yellow bus despite our fears, insecurities and the pain of separation. Think of me as the driver on our little Wine Guys Nation bus. I am here to put your minds at ease; tell a joke or two, give you a pointer here and there, and then take you to the place where the REAL education starts. We have presented this two-part series, with more to come, as part of an overall basic wine education, a fundamental skill set for the sublime. —JC Campione

A Dirty Kind of Love,

“Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye; That's all we shall know for truth Before we grow old and die. —William Butler Yeats ”

We describe real life as "earthy" and when we are fully involved we are "down and dirty." We have tilled the earth for millennia and the tie twixt blood and soil is as old as dirt. Few experience this connection more intensely than those who tend the grapes and give birth to extraordinary wines. No vine short of kudzu grows as fast or as strong as love, extending its reach through generations, conceiving its own sweaty, bitter-sweet reality.

When Victor Abascal met Jennifer, his wife to be, he was returning home from a hard day in the vineyard. Caked with dirt and perspiration, he was just looking for a quick bite to eat at Trader Joe's.

“I was not at my best,” he recalls. Fortunately, love is blind and Jenni was indifferent to his dust. They married quickly and it was only when she saw several lined garbage cans in the kitchen and a shower filled with bottles of vintage wine, did she realize the passion she had married into and now shares at Vines on the Marycrest, their winery.

“I tend to be an over the top, kind of über-optimist,” says Victor, “Jenni's more pragmatic and brings a balance.” Balance is a key factor in both wine and marriage. It enhances the good qualities and sublimates lesser ones.

Balance is what Timothy Spelletich sought in his life after having spent a period of time in Northern Italy.

“I developed an appreciation in fine craftsmanship, in fine foods and fine wine and the role they play in bringing friends and family together.”

He found that balance in a bright, attractive wine négociant, and the head of Zephyr Imports soon became Barbara Spelletich. She is co-wine maker at Spelletich Cellars Winery because of her well developed palate.

“When we're at a tasting, I look for nonverbal clues from Barb to see whether she likes a wine or not. There aren't a lot of arguments over wine making. She has the better palate,” says Timothy flatly.

In the Passalacqua household, conflicts take a similar path; “If we have a disagreement I win because I'm the chief taster,” says Victoria with a mischievous laugh. With Richard, the love of her life and sometime attorney, they are starting to see recognition for the artistry of their work at the E Passalacqua Family Estate Vineyard. The very name of their winery, GiaDomella is a testament to their love. It combines the first names of their three children; Gianna, Dominic and Marcella, the 5th generation of this close-knit wine making family. Though the land has been in the possession of the Passalacqua family since the 1890s, along with its rich tradition of fruit farming, it's only been about a decade since they've gone from selling their grape juice to others to producing more than 700 cases of wine last year. A shared vision is a shared priority.

These are couples who demonstrate their devotion through their daily labor. Can they demonstrate it any more effectively on just one arbitrary day? How will these three wine making couples be celebrating Valentine's Day?

Spending a quiet night at home is what Victor and Jenni Abascal have in mind—an all too rare occurrence—dining on the fine food prepared by Victor.

“I thought about a Bolognese sauce, but now I'm reconsidering and leaning toward lobster...” he says, casually.

They will have their choice of great wines. Jenni is hoping for one of their own vintage Cabs, My Generation, but Victor has his own ideas, “We drink so much of our own stuff...I have some '94 and '95 Napa cabs that we'll probably break out. I also have a nice Bordeaux I've been saving for a special occasion.”

Barb and Timothy Spelletich will go with a choice from their own vineyard.

“We have 50,000 bottles available to us at any one time. Champagne is reserved for special occasions, so for a night like Valentine's when we're feeling romantic and nostalgic, we'll go with a vintage Cab. Something from our '94 vintage, the first year we planted.”

Richard and Victoria Passalacqua will be attending a fundraiser for Cooley's Anemia, a blood disorder, sponsored by the Italian Catholic Federation, sharing their love and wine with a wider family.

That's what Valentine's Day is all about, the confirmation a of an ever-present love. Perhaps it began at a local restaurant or someone else's wedding, but always completely by accident. Love has its own logic and its own agenda. Like a grape vine, love succeeds best when tested by environmental challenges. Through the years, productivity may decrease, but complexity grows ever deeper.

Happy Valentine's Day, citizens! Chin chin!

—JC Campione

Alice Through the Riedel Glass

“Fortune is like glass – the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.”

-Publilius, famous dead Roman

I have had a contentious relationship with fortune throughout my life. Rather than smile at me, Dame Fortune has laughed, sneered, and given me the Bronx cheer. While it was clear from an early age I couldn't be trusted with large amounts of cash, Fortuna was also determined to make humiliation a regular feature of my being.

This non-romance of ours began while I was a young college student at the University of Iowa. Invited to the home of my girlfriend's parents—he, a top thoracic surgeon and she, a respected society maven—I was determined to exploit the opportunity to further my relationship and gain favors heretofore denied by Alice, my girlfriend. My frustration was at an all-time high. I was 19 and dangerously hormonal.

Doctor Dad's home was gorgeous and his taste was exquisite. The eight-carat, Marquis cut sparkler on his wife's finger spoke to that. Still, they seemed pleasant enough. From my perspective, things went well throughout the meet and greet portion of the evening. I hadn't unintentionally insulted anyone, knocked anything over or let loose with some sort of bodily function. Then came dinner. The cook had prepared a magnificent roasted prime rib. The fact that these people had their own private cook was heady stuff for one of the hoi polloi. The good doctor then went to great lengths to explain the wine of the evening. I was a college sophomore from Small-town, USA. Aside from cheap Italian Chianti, the most exotic thing I had ever had was Southern Comfort. I nodded my head a lot without knowing what he was talking about. (I had the same experience years later during the closing on my first home.) In memory, little remains of what he said other than it was a Bordeaux. I do recall the words, Premier Cru because he was quite animated, almost giddy, in his own relatively unemotional way when he said them.

As he gave a toast, I extended my glass believing his was farther away than it was. My depth perception had always been a little off due to corrective "lazy eye" surgery as a child. Glancing at my girlfriend, I gave her a quick wink. The resulting crash and splash-back is forever burned in my mind. “Those were very expensive Riedel glasses,” he said sternly at least twice. In a pique of jealousy, Lady Luck had ruined my plans for romance. Things never did go well for Alice and me after that. Thus was my introduction to fine wine and glassware.

For the wine professionals in the reading audience, Riedel glasses need no introduction, but for those entering the wine world for the first time, glassware can be as much a mystery as wine. Then again, there are those who have no interest in glass, whatsoever and I believe they are missing a vital part of an overall wine education.

Glass, in general has a great fascination for me. In one of my many incarnations, I spent a few years as a glassblower; first artistic, making small collectibles for the shopping mall crowd, then scientific, making complex lab apparatus, and finally as a neon sign maker. When you're that involved, you pick up a thing or two.

Like too many things, the history of glass begins at a period now shrouded by the mists of antiquity. When I began my glass career, I was told glass was accidentally discovered by Roman sailors building fires on far Mediterranean shores. The three basic ingredients of glass—sand (silica), potash (from burnt wood and natron, a naturally occurring mineral,) and soda lime (from sea shells and, again, naturally occurring minerals)—were all present to create this hard, transparent substance. Like many things I was taught, this was a lie. We now know glass as old as the third millennium BCE has been found in Syria (Mesopotamia) and examples of second-millennium Egyptian and (possibly) Phoenician glass also exist. The Romans didn't get a hold of it until around the first century BCE and didn't let go until the Huns, Goths and other assorted barbarians forced them to. Europe had to wait until the Crusades, when the Venetians took the secrets back from their business contacts in the Middle East. Ever paranoid about industrial espionage, the Venetians practically imprisoned their glassblowers so no one would spill the beans. Still, like that old saying, “Three people can keep a secret, but only if two are dead,” word got out. The scene then shifts to England, where George Ravenscroft discovers in 1676 that, by adding some lead oxide, the light refracting properties change completely and beauty is reborn. Eighty years later, Johann Christoph Riedel started his now famous company in Austria. (Yes, it's really that old.)

In the 1950s, Claude Joseph Riedel discovered that the size and shape of the glass could actually make wine taste better. Most people have a hard time accepting that, but a few years ago, Kari Russel, a food science student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Go Vols!) did some experimenting and found that certain glasses after “first increasing the concentration of a phenolic compound called gallic acid, then saw its decrease. Oxygen in the air turns gallic acid into another compound, called catechin-gallate ester—and esters are the chemicals essential to giving wine a taste. The catechin-gallate ester in particular makes the wine taste dry.” (www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-a-wines-taste-can-be-in-the-glass-641258.html)

Translated into English, that means Claude Joseph was right; size AND shape do make a differ-ence. Luckily, there are plenty of manufacturers putting out a wide variety of glassware to sell us, though Riedel (now under the guidance of Maximilian Riedel, the eleventh-generation CEO) is still the king.

At one time, only the Kings and nobility could afford precious glassware. Through time and the competitive market, modern masters like Riedel and others have made fine glassware available to all, including top thoracic surgeons and clumsy college students trying to impress their dates. Fortuna may have it in for me, but when she wasn't looking, I was lucky enough to gain an appreciation of wine. —JC Campione

Next time, we'll talk about the different types of glasses and wine glass etiquette. Until then, two web sites in particular I encourage you to visit are...

Master Piece Crystal Wine Glass manufacturing process

Reidel Glassware Vid

In addition, The Master Piece Chrystal Wine Glass is a glassware company in West Virginia that has produced a wonderful video on its master glassblowers. And of course, check out Riedel, but they have their own video collection. Also worth a look is the masters of Murano website, www.murrina.it, and this video

Murano Glass beads - www.murrina.it

Whenever the subject of wine closures arises...

opinions are more plentiful than pulp in Pauillac. Arguments from the anti-cork crowd almost always begin and end with the reasons for preserving the integrity of the wine. Yes, yes, we’ve all heard this or that percentage of cork-closed wines (between 1 and 10%) are tainted. And yes, TCA (Trichloro-something or other) contamination is a horrible thing that can make your favorite wine taste like wet cardboard. We’re told plastic stoppers or screw-tops are exponentially more effective in preventing this and other things like unintended oxidation caused by improperly stored wine and dried out corks.

These are the wine experts telling us this and, of course, they’re absolutely right. Bryan and Keith of WGTV have discussed and expanded on this very topic in the recent past and I would never argue with them. Truly, I don’t have a fraction of the knowledge or experience these two, and countless others, have, but I DO know romance and, for me, that is what it comes down to.

Wine isn’t just some profit-making liquid to be analyzed for tannins or acids or comparisons to this or that fruit. It’s not a chemical abstraction, it’s a spiritual ideal. It’s Charles Boyer flickering in black and white, lifting a glass and raising an eyebrow to Irene Dunn. It’s Rick exhausting his Champagne supply “before he’ll let the Germans drink it” while proclaiming his undying love for Ilsa. It’s a midnight dinner on the balcony with moonlight and love reflected in the other’s eyes and Sinatra on the stereo. It’s Hannibal Lector reminding us of his devotion to Chianti. (Alright, that’s a bad example, forget that one.)

But screw-tops? Please! Why do I want commonality with some lush and his bottle of Night Train? Why not just get a box of Franzia?“But JC,” you scream in shock and horror, “some of those screw-tops are on the highest quality wines in the world.”

“Pphhphphffft,” I say, and a big, fat “so what?” Barry Bonds is probably the greatest baseball player who’s ever lived, but I wouldn't hang out with him or want him as a neighbor. Give me Ernie Banks any day.

Do you men think a woman wants to hear your views on the complexity and interaction of that ‘98 Mouton -Rothschild or do you think she wants to know how her gentle charms and quiet dignity have made you a better person? Would she rather hear why ‘Supreme Corq’ is the greatest innovation of the last century or that Michelangelo himself would be challenged in sculpting cheek bones as magnificent as hers? Wielding a waiter’s friend with a confident indifference will do far more to make an evening memorable than will the annoying click-click-click of a screw-top, a noise more likely associated with opening a bottle of soda pop.

I’m not saying don’t buy screw-tops or plastic corks, after all, some of these wines are magnificent. But maybe it would be a good idea to decant it before anyone arrives. If you have the need to educate your guests, most certainly show them the bottle, just lose the cap. On the matter of wine closures, I'm proudly “old school” and I pray corks—REAL corks—never go away.

Ciao,

JC Campione / Wineguys TV

Wine News / FreshContent.Net