Various ruminations and observations regarding the bizarre and otherwise incomprehensible happenings in the wine industry.
SAINT VINI'S CREDO I believe that wine is a beverage that should be enjoyed frequently, alone or with meals. I believe that wine, since it is made from a fruit, should produce a liquid reminiscent of that fruit, not cedar, moss, pipe tobacco, barnyards, manure, pencil lead, or band aids. As such, I believe that good wine can come from any country, but it must be labeled in such a way that the consumer doesn't need an atlas and a wine encyclopedia to figure out what's in the bottle. I believe that the United States should not trail the civilized world in wine consumption per capita and that neo-prohibitionists, wine snobs, and liquor distributors are all joined in a trilateral commission to hinder wine consumption. I believe that wine needs to lose its elitist image by embracing alternative packaging, alternative closures, non-vintage wines, stronger branding, and lower retail prices. I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last........uh....sorry, I got carried away.
posted by St. Vini at 10:54 AM
7 Comments:
I love their "disgorging tool"!
I'd feel like a tool if I bought one, it's probably a $20 purchase & I doubt it would be an improvement over a regular bottle opener.
Can't fault them for trying to market yet another waste of money accessory.
I can't recall ever getting a sparkler with cork taint, but maybe it's not as detectable with that style of wine, and I don't drink it that much.
It would be way cooler to crack the bottle open on the edge of the tble, or better still, in your teeth!
Wow, I'm surprised that it's safe to use a crown cap on Champagne. While it's true that beer and other carbonated beverages use crown caps, I was always under the impression that Champanges are under far more pressure than your average beer.
Deena,
That's a common misconception. As I pointed out in the Aug '04 post, Champagne is made using crown caps (and frequently a small plastic thimble called a 'biduelle' [sp?], which acts as a repository for the yeast & sediment during riddling). When the neck of the bottle has all the yeast & sediment, it's frozen, then uprighted & the crown cap is pulled off - shooting the frozen plug of sediment out of the bottle. At that point, the wine gets its 'dosage' of sugar syrup to adjust sweetness on the palate, and then receives the classic Champagne cork (or plastic cork), wire basket and foil.
If my memory's correct, a typical mid-weight Champagne bottle can withstand ~120 psi. I've seen over-pressurized bottles that broke during production, but I don't remember seeing a crown cap blow due to pressure. It's really a remarkable seal when you think about it.
Cheers,
Vini
Heh, you're right! I toured a winery once and saw the sparkling wine bottles while they were going through riddling, and they did indeed have the crown caps. Why didn't I think of that?
I don't get it
Why break the cork tradition thing with champaignes when these corks are more suited for champaignes than crowns! I kinda like the cork better and crowns are harmful to the environment. Why don't we give mother nature a little respect.
Lyle,
That's worhty of a follow-up post of it's own. See my post of 8/29/06.
V
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