Strangest wine closure yet?

A quick aside to look at an odd "cork" I came across the other day.

This is the Ardea Seal AS-Elite (also, apparently known as the Guala Seal Elite) ..., what do YOU make of it?

This is taking "technical" corks to the extreme as it is a HIGHLY engineered replacement for cork that includes three different elements and, in theory has all the benefits of cork (flexible, reliable, etc.) without the drawbacks (cork taint).

It looks ... a little odd however, don't you think? (Yes, I admit it, I childishly compared this to a suppository in appearance - I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere)

One thing is sure, I bet it can't be cheap.

This closure was in an extremely expensive bottle of Grand Cru Burgundy. It seems that Burgundy producers looked at this closure because of the problems they have had with "premature oxidation"*, particularly in whites. 

What is interesting is that this particular bottle was subject of some discussion by the tasters during a "blind" tasting (I got the photos only afterwards) where several of us thought that the wine was "reduced" ... and therefore affected by TOO LITTLE oxidation (to put it simply).

It would seem a bit more evidence that there is NO "best" closure for wine bottles. All extremists, whether for / against the alternatives such as cork, screwcap, Nomacork, etc. need to acknowledge that this is a complex debate and instead of pushing agendas, wineries should explain why they made their own decision.

As a consumer, don't be put off by a wine because of how it is closed, but do ask whether the closure chosen "fits" the story of the wine as you understand it. The art is not just in the finished work, but also in the choice of materials.

* the wines from certain vintages in Burgundy basically got 'old' really fast and tasted tired and flabby. It happened to a LOT of expensive wines at the same time and no-one was quite sure why.

The City of Brescia - in Photos #ewbc

At the very heart of Brescia is a beautiful and elegant historical centre, witness to this city's importance since Roman times, and in fact there are still important Roman remains here.

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The City was a great setting for the recent European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC), as it was sponsored by the wine region of Franciacorta which neighbours the city. While I work on some wine and blogging related posts, I thought I would share some of my favourite photos of the city, that might encourage you to put it on your list of places to visit.

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Of course I have to thank the Mayor, Adriano Paroli, and the whole Comune (but particularly Laura Castelleti and Giovanni Arcari), for making places like the Museo di Santa Giulia and the Loggia available to us.

I recommend it for the culture, the art, the food and of course, the great sparkling wines (but try a Pirlo if you are in town as well).

Hope you enjoy!

Here are some (unusual, maybe) favourites (and below is the full set):

 

 

 

 

And here is the full set of pictures of Brescia

Lovely @teusnerwine Shiraz for dinner

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I decided that tonight was a slightly hearty meal night, what with the weather getting cold, nights drawing in ...

The food was pork, grilled, and I made a sauce of onion, pepper, tomato, sun dried tomatoes and herbs (with wine, of course) for flavour.

So, what to match it with?

This Shiraz has sat, waiting, under the stairs, for long enough. I always worry it will be "too big" and overpower dishes, but in fact the Teusner wines have often impressed me with a good level of restraint (it is all relative, this is still at least 14.5% alcohol).

Served in my biggest glasses, this opened up to be marvellously rich, not too jammy, with a whole cakeful of black forest fruit, a sprinkle of black pepper and a dash of cream. This is good stuff. Power and elegance like a rugby player dressed in a dinner jacket - you know he is muscular underneath, but yet on the surface he's suave ... in a sort of Daniel Craig as James Bond sort of way.

I'm not sure how easy The Riebke is to find, but it reminds me that "fine wine" is also about state of mind and context, so I need to keep buying a bigger range of wines and keeping them as long as possible to see how they age to get to know the real potential of countries such as Australia (that too often sell you their wines FAR too young).

The Riebke, 2008 Northern Barossa Shiraz, Teusner Wines

Discovering Port, on a train

I remember when I really discovered Port. It was on the East Coast mainline train from London to Aberdeen, somewhere between Newcastle and Berwick Upon Tweed. It had nothing to do with the dramatic slopes and scenery of the Douro Valley.

I was on my way back to my University and another student heading beyond, to Dundee, sat opposite me. These were the days before Twitter and Facebook, and "social" meant striking up conversation across a table. After a brief chat, he said:

"I always toast the crossing of the border (into Scotland). Want to join me?"

Who was I to refuse?

He dug out a bottle of LBV port, or it might even have been a young vintage, and proceeded to share it around. We had fun and I *seem* to recall running out BEFORE we reached the actual border, but it mattered little by then.

Port has always meant conviviality to me ever since. A drink of offering. A drink for ceremonies, however much they may be invented. A drink to take seriously, but not TOO seriously.

Unfortunately, those days are behind me and I rarely drink Port these days. The supermarket special offers (that used to be a few pounds off decent LBV wines) are now for "finest" Ruby Port that is more often than not dire. I also rarely have "celebrations" at home because the kids are asleep upstairs, making rowdy dinner parties a thing of the past (and future).

I fear this is true for so many others.

Who drinks Port these days? Who pays extra for LBV, Single Quinta or even Vintage Port?

Are they the same ones who are also propping up the Sherry market, the German Riesling market, etc? In other words a small group of "wine geeks". I didn't get too many replies to this question on twitter, although some "foodie" friends made some mouthwatering suggestions for how to enjoy it (lots of venison mentioned). Port's main market is Christmas, but there are a lot of other celebrations throughout the year.

Port was not alien to me. It was my grandfather's tipple (well, one of them) - something I grew up aspiring to enjoy. Does that even happen today? Do YOUR parents drink Port?

What do you need to know about Port?

Put simply, the juice comes from a mind-blowing variety of grapes grown in almost impossible circumstances; terraces on steep valley vineyards, experiencing blisteringly hot sun and unreliable rainfall. The resulting concentrated juice is not fermented like regular wine, but interrupted while it is still sweet and plump by adding "spirit" (brandy). This means you get wines that are sweet, intense, often complex and alcoholic.

The main differences in the styles come down to how, and how long, the wine is aged. Ruby is young, Vintage is meant to be aged in bottle, Tawny is aged for years in barrels (my fave), and LBV combines these with a shorter time in barrel, then bottles (best "value").

Take your pick!

Yesterday, I was extermely lucky to taste 18 "Vintage-style" (Single Quinta from individual years) Ports from 2006, 1999 and even as far back as 1950. The presentation and conversation was all about unique characteristics of some amazing, hard-to-find and expensive wines, and even some heart-warming history from the Symington family ... but not once did anyone mention the customer.

Of course, none of THESE wines are "train wines", and I realise that this was a high-end trade event, but I had hoped there might be something here that might help me encourage others to discover Port as I did.

Could the silky smooth, peppered black fruit of the 2006 Quinta Do Vesuvio be used to attract lovers of all things bright and bountiful ... and alcoholic?

Maybe it should be the elegant chocolate fondant and dark cherry centre of the 1996 Quinta de Cavadinha that might appeal to gourmands looking for new taste experiences?

(more tasting notes will be on Adegga soon)

Either way, Port, like so many wine regions and styles spends a little too much time preaching uniqueness to the converted and not enough time finding ways to get real bottles onto trains. I think this calls for a little exploring of the more widely available bottles of Port ... for research, of course.

There is a time for Port. I believe it is a GREAT way to enjoy your own (even made up) celebration. All you need now is the excuse. In fact, I have an event coming up very soon, as I intend to celebrate the fact that there are now just over 2 months to go to Christmas and I have yet to hear a single carol. Cheers!