Happy New Year everybody!
For my first wine thread of the year I'd like to discuss the use of real versus artificial corks. This is a subject of some considerable debate these days. Many companies are now using plastic-based "corks". What do you think about this?
There is concern that the plastic might alter the taste if left in contact with the wine too long...but (to play the Devil's advocate here) you can say the same thing about a natural cork, yes?
I bring this up because I've had a bit of an unlucky streak with 'corked' (bad) bottles lately - after years of never having any trouble I've gotten three bottles recently that I had to return. One of them was unbelievably bad, but the other two were more subtly defective. If I had not been already familiar with those two (from drinking 'healthy' bottles before) I might have just thought it was not a good wine. And of course all these bad bottles had natural corks.
All of the Beaujolais Nouveau I have enjoyed this year has had plastic corks, but of course this kind of wine avoids the concern about plastic and long term storage - it is a very young wine meant to be enjoyed immediately. But what about a bottle that will not mature for a few years? What then?
My opinion? I do not buy wine to cellar it, I buy it and I drink it. I have had some trouble with natural cork, and I have yet to personally perceive any shortcomings of artificial corks, so I vote plastic.
What say you?
For my first wine thread of the year I'd like to discuss the use of real versus artificial corks. This is a subject of some considerable debate these days. Many companies are now using plastic-based "corks". What do you think about this?
There is concern that the plastic might alter the taste if left in contact with the wine too long...but (to play the Devil's advocate here) you can say the same thing about a natural cork, yes?
I bring this up because I've had a bit of an unlucky streak with 'corked' (bad) bottles lately - after years of never having any trouble I've gotten three bottles recently that I had to return. One of them was unbelievably bad, but the other two were more subtly defective. If I had not been already familiar with those two (from drinking 'healthy' bottles before) I might have just thought it was not a good wine. And of course all these bad bottles had natural corks.
All of the Beaujolais Nouveau I have enjoyed this year has had plastic corks, but of course this kind of wine avoids the concern about plastic and long term storage - it is a very young wine meant to be enjoyed immediately. But what about a bottle that will not mature for a few years? What then?
My opinion? I do not buy wine to cellar it, I buy it and I drink it. I have had some trouble with natural cork, and I have yet to personally perceive any shortcomings of artificial corks, so I vote plastic.
What say you?
Which, on a serious note, concerns me -- the proper storage of wines.
