[jjbrr]

Winstonm, on Jan 11 2010, 06:36 PM, said:

And generally speaking, the really high quality wines will still be bottled with real cork, although that is not as pervasive of truth as it once was due to dwindling supplies of cork trees.

I was assigned the task of picking out the wine to go with a steak dinner at a fancy-ish steakhouse in downtown Dallas over Thanksgiving weekend. I picked a Shiraz to go with the steak, potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms we ordered. I was very surprised to see a $70 bottle of Shiraz with a screw top lol. Even so, it was a perfect accompaniment to the food, and everyone was satisfied, so I guess I can't complain. I assume this isn't that surprising to people with more wine experience, but it was new to me.

[Winstonm]

At $70 screw seems an apt term.

[jjbrr]

Touche.

[blackshoe]

Heh. I was stationed at Pearl Harbor in the early '80s. One of the local restaurants used to run a PR ad every Monday, where they'd talk about all the "rich and famous" who ate there over the weekend. One weekend I particularly remember involved a Hollywood producer (whose name I can't remember) who flew himself, his wife, and another couple to Oahu on Saturday just so they could have dinner at this restaurant. The dinner bill was $3000 — and $2500 of that was one bottle of wine.

[PassedOut]

blackshoe, on Jan 11 2010, 11:29 PM, said:

The dinner bill was $3000 — and $2500 of that was one bottle of wine.

I like the restaurants where mediocre wines are very expensive and good wines are a bargain.

[kfay]

jjbrr, on Jan 11 2010, 09:26 PM, said:

Winstonm, on Jan 11 2010, 06:36 PM, said:

And generally speaking, the really high quality wines will still be bottled with real cork, although that is not as pervasive of truth as it once was due to dwindling supplies of cork trees.

I was assigned the task of picking out the wine to go with a steak dinner at a fancy-ish steakhouse in downtown Dallas over Thanksgiving weekend. I picked a Shiraz to go with the steak, potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms we ordered. I was very surprised to see a $70 bottle of Shiraz with a screw top lol. Even so, it was a perfect accompaniment to the food, and everyone was satisfied, so I guess I can't complain. I assume this isn't that surprising to people with more wine experience, but it was new to me.

I was talking with my cousin over Thanksgiving. He worked at a vinyard in Oregon about 2 years ago and learned a lot there. From what he tells me, screwtops used to have a stigma placed on them because simply because cork was the old-fashioned way and people would be damned rather than look like a bunch of hillbillies unscrewing some homemade wine.

But actually screwtops are, I guess, really coming on lately. Benefits:

1) Don't generate the 'plastic flavor' some people complain of with artificial corks
2) Don't get corked! (In the bad way)
3) Really easy to take off!

It's safe and reliable and does everything a real cork does and doesn't do the things that are terrible that cork does... so wineries that say 'screw it (pun!) we just want to make good wine' are starting to use them more.

That being said, I still like to uncork my wine

They also say that you need real cork to age wine correctly, since a small amount of oxygen penetration is required, which you can't get with the other stopping methods. But for young wines, I think scientists would agree that screwtops are the best option.

[mike777]

Presentation matters. It does not always have to be what is the cheapest or easiest.

[Winstonm]

Can you imagine the waiter opening a $100 bottle of Cabernet and then handing you the screw top lid to inspect?

[jjbrr]

My waiter pulled out his corkscrew, felt the top of the bottle, sheepishly put it away, and said "they just don't make em like they used to."

[Mbodell]

Yeah, many of the wineries are shifting to screw tops for the premium wines. It is a better way to go and prevents the spoilage. I know for sure Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley have made that change where the good premium sparkling wine gets the screw tops.

[jjbrr]

What's the shelf-life for an open bottle of wine? If i stick the cork back in or screw the top back on is it OK for a long time (a year?) or does air mess it up pretty quickly?

[Mbodell]

jjbrr, on Aug 14 2010, 07:31 PM, said:

What's the shelf-life for an open bottle of wine? If i stick the cork back in or screw the top back on is it OK for a long time (a year?) or does air mess it up pretty quickly?

I'm not an expert, but I'd be amazed if an open bottle can last much more than a week absent some sort of repressurized sealing.

[cherdanno]

jjbrr, on Aug 14 2010, 10:31 PM, said:

What's the shelf-life for an open bottle of wine? If i stick the cork back in or screw the top back on is it OK for a long time (a year?) or does air mess it up pretty quickly?

2 hours.

[blackshoe]

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index...18033708AAAtr01

Short answer: red wine 24 hours, white wine 72 hours.

[mycroft]

ggwhiz, on Aug 3 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Do some homework as suggested and then come to our Ottawa Canada Regional in early October.

There is a place called Vintages that has hundreds of Beers, Wines, Scotches etc. all sold by the glass.  Some go in the $100 range per and they also have inexpensive blind tasting options of 8-10 for all of them.

I know nothing about the subject but this is one of my favorite haunts.  I wish I could remember where I parked the car though......

Ah yes, that place. We got sucked in there one night by the menu, topped by a huge banner, which, in 128-point font, read:

"FRENCH FRIES $10"

and in much smaller letters underneath:

"free sirloin steak included"

...and figured that if they had that kind of sense of humour, it was the place for us. Then found out it was a beer and wine bar, and that they were having a Belgian beer month. $120 later (including food), we staggered home...

Heartily recommended (although please note, that I'm betting the french fry deal, and everything else, has gone up a bit in the last 12 years).

[jjbrr]

Bump

Reading this thread sort makes me LOL about how dumb I once was (and likely still am).

I've discovered I really enjoy New World wines vs the traditional French and Italian types (sry ch00), and I even got the opportunity to visit several vineyards in Chile this spring. Just received a case of Carmenere in the mail earlier today that I'll likely hold on to for a year or two before cracking open. :thumbsup:

At the risk of getting flamed, my favorite bottle of wine I've bought for myself is Show Stopper Durif from Australia. I don't think I'd like it as much as a standalone, but served with lots of GRILLED MEAT it was amazing.

[jjbrr]

Also thanks, Phil, for lots of good advice.

[phil_20686]

Phil said:

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Also, try to really hone in on how the wine changes as it is exposed to air. For a really good bottle, I have found that there is an optimum amount of time it needs to breathe. Too short and it is overly tannic, and the fruit stays 'wound up'. Too long, and the flavor leaves.

You can open a bottle of wine and reseal it, but in my experience it will only keep for about 2-3 weeks and that's if you use a pressurized cork.

A heavy red like a st emillion needs between four and twelve hours depending on whether you decant it first. However, you can cheat by pouring it into a glass and using a milk frother.
St emillion is my favourite wine. Epic.