GrimWheel Posted July 22, 2010 #1 Share Posted July 22, 2010 All you wine buffs can you help ? I know a little bit, and know what I like, but am not a "buff". Wine waiter brings you your screwtop bottle, and pours you a quarter glass expecting you to give him the OK to proceed. Do you play the little game and taste/sniff ? Or do you ask him/her to just pour, knowing it can't be "corked" ? It occurs to me that actually sommeliers should not do this at all with screwtops and should just pour. So why don't they ? I can find so little to complain about on QM2 that I'm reduced to this... Your expert view awaited ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScientist_01 Posted July 22, 2010 #2 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Wine with a screwtop? :eek: I really don't mean that to sound pompous, but I only drink red wine and have never had a proper bottle without a cork (had those little bottles in pubs with a screwtop but they don't count). Are they any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimWheel Posted July 22, 2010 Author #3 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Absolutely ! Some of the very best whites (often from NZ or Australia) I've ever tasted have screwtops. I'm told they couldn't get quality cork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScientist_01 Posted July 22, 2010 #4 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Absolutely ! Some of the very best whites (often from NZ or Australia) I've ever tasted have screwtops. I'm told they couldn't get quality cork. Well, you live and learn - I'll have to give them a try! Haven't had white wine for a long time, will have to dig one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl_nj Posted July 22, 2010 #5 Share Posted July 22, 2010 All you wine buffs can you help ? I know a little bit, and know what I like, but am not a "buff". Wine waiter brings you your screwtop bottle, and pours you a quarter glass expecting you to give him the OK to proceed. Do you play the little game and taste/sniff ? Or do you ask him/her to just pour, knowing it can't be "corked" ? It occurs to me that actually sommeliers should not do this at all with screwtops and should just pour. So why don't they ? I can find so little to complain about on QM2 that I'm reduced to this... Your expert view awaited ! Wikipedia claims it's possible for the winery itself to be tainted with TCA, which could cause a bottle of wine that has no cork to be "corked". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint#Systemic_TCA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitl Posted July 22, 2010 #6 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Wine with a screwtop? :eek: I really don't mean that to sound pompous, but I only drink red wine and have never had a proper bottle without a cork (had those little bottles in pubs with a screwtop but they don't count). Are they any good? I drink red and white and have had some terrific reds (and whites) come out of a screw-top bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruachan Posted July 22, 2010 #7 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Well, you live and learn - I'll have to give them a try! Haven't had white wine for a long time, will have to dig one out. In my wild youth most of the wine I drank came out of large, 3 litre, plastic bottles with a screw top. I think it cost about £4.00 a go and £3.99 of that was to cover the cost of the bottle. Pretty damn alcoholic though - just shake it up vigorously to mix in all the goodness and away you go. Later I went really upmarket and started hitting the boxes. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underwatr Posted July 22, 2010 #8 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Later I went really upmarket and started hitting the boxes.Makes me wonder Cunard's corkage fee would be the standard $15 for a box... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Avery Posted July 22, 2010 #9 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Like Kermit the Frog, you ask permission to "sniff the bottle cap".:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted July 22, 2010 #10 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Is a cork really the only thing that can make a bottle of wine go bad? :confused: Personally I think sniffing the cork is just snobbery but I heard squeezing it is much more appropriate. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruachan Posted July 22, 2010 #11 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Is a cork really the only thing that can make a bottle of wine go bad? :confused: Well, from my experience of good ole Zimbabwean plonk, the cork was actually the best bit of it! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted July 22, 2010 #12 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Well, from my experience of good ole Zimbabwean plonk, the cork was actually the best bit of it! J LOL, you really believed it was cork? It was actually dried elephant dung. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruachan Posted July 22, 2010 #13 Share Posted July 22, 2010 LOL, you really believed it was cork? It was actually dried elephant dung. ;) ROFLMAO, Actually it could well have been elephant poo - but after the first mouthful of the wine your mouth was so totally anaesthetised they could have pulled teeth and you wouldn't have noticed. It made Pol Acker look like vintage champagne. Made the party go with a swing though. :D J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted July 22, 2010 #14 Share Posted July 22, 2010 What an interesting topic. I hadn't given much thought to revisiting screw top bottles (having enjoyed more than my share while in college) until reading these comments. Did some quick research and found this informative piece http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopap.htm Thanks for peaking my interest in the cork vs screwtop debate :) Regards, Salacia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolk Brit Posted July 22, 2010 #15 Share Posted July 22, 2010 And do you have to pay corkage on a screw top:)? Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacia Posted July 22, 2010 #16 Share Posted July 22, 2010 And do you have to pay corkage on a screw top:)? Mary LOL ...and if so, does it show up on your statement as "screw fee"? :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real PM Posted July 22, 2010 #17 Share Posted July 22, 2010 LOL...and if so, does it show up on your statement as "screw fee"? :eek: I really believe that a "screw top fee" would be far more appropriate, don't you?:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruachan Posted July 22, 2010 #18 Share Posted July 22, 2010 And do you have to pay corkage on a screw top:)? Mary Definitely not in Scotland where a "screw-top", or to be more linguistically accurate, a "screw-tap", is an entirely different concept that doesn't involve wine. BigMac will no doubt be along shortly and can confirm that. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolk Brit Posted July 22, 2010 #19 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Definitely not in Scotland where a "screw-top", or to be more linguistically accurate, a "screw-tap", is an entirely different concept that doesn't involve wine. BigMac will no doubt be along shortly and can confirm that. J Experience has shown me that it's better not to ask, but I never learn... so, having googled it and got a load of very boring plumbing and heating suppliers websites, what is a screw-tap in Scotland? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruachan Posted July 22, 2010 #20 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Experience has shown me that it's better not to ask, but I never learn...so, having googled it and got a load of very boring plumbing and heating suppliers websites, what is a screw-tap in Scotland? It's a large bottle of beer with a screw top. "Top" pronounced "tap" in Sconny Botland therefore nowt to do with plumbing. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bispham Boo Posted July 22, 2010 #21 Share Posted July 22, 2010 LOL...and if so, does it show up on your statement as "screw fee"? :eek: Oh Lordy, my next glass of French screw top(in plastic) just went all over the sofa.Again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandbox Posted July 22, 2010 #22 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Absolutely ! Some of the very best whites (often from NZ or Australia) I've ever tasted have screwtops. I'm told they couldn't get quality cork. Totally agree. And more and more countrys are following. Save the Tree's;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMac1953 Posted July 23, 2010 #23 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Definitely not in Scotland where a "screw-top", or to be more linguistically accurate, a "screw-tap", is an entirely different concept that doesn't involve wine. BigMac will no doubt be along shortly and can confirm that. J A "Screw Tap", as I remember, was a bottle of "Pale Ale" (aka Pally Ally)that had a much lower alcohol content and was UK pint size. It was mainly purchased by those on a strict budget, and quite popular amongst the masses on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as pay day was a Friday. It was just one step above LD (Eldorado sweet sherry) that sold mostly in half bottles as to be easily concealed in inside pockets. Having tasted neither, I am unable to review their qualities and at that, will hand you back to Cruachan for further comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdb Posted July 23, 2010 #24 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Here in Oz winemakers have been playing around with screw caps (or Stelvin seals) for a while due to greater volumes of poor quality cork hitting our shores. It's been estimated that up to 2 bottles per dozen suffer from 'cork taint' or TCA, or just oxidation due to the cork being a poor closure. My take on TCA is like smelling and tasting a decaying forest floor, and it's not pleasant. So 30 years ago in Australia they created the screw cap but it wasn't popular with drinkers. Now, more and more high end wines are being put in screw caps, although it'll be some time before a Penfolds Grange is in one. There is argument that it takes longer for a red in a screw cap to mature, due to a lack of oxygen transfer through the cork. They are not infallable though, as a good vertical impact on the seal can break it. On the plus side the screw cap bottle is very easy to open and reseal. I understand Bordeaux winemakers have also been playing with this type of seal for some 20 years but I've never seen any of that regions wines with a screw cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyurfs Posted July 26, 2010 #25 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Randomly stumbled upon this thread, and after years in the wine business, here is my advice. No matter the type of closure, you are best off sniffing the glass after a swirl. The swirl will oxgenate the wine and give you a good indication of the quality of the wine. Cork doesn't have enough wine on it to give you a good indication. You should examine the cork though to see if there is anything moldy or if it is crumbling. Clearly, this is not an issue with the twist off caps. Also, check the bottle and ensure the label is what you ordered. On a recent cruise, we were brought the wrong bottle. And my husband nodded just as the wine steward was about to open it. But at the last moment, I recognized it was a bottle about $100 more than we had ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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