You wine drinkers, real cork or synthetic?

[JOERM]

To me it doesn't really matter if the wine bottle is corked with real cork or synthetic but at the store a while back I had in my cart some good wine and a lady searching the thousands of brands asked me what is a good one. I told her the 2007 Rodney Strong is pretty good. She asked if it had a real cork in it, I said I thought so but wasn't sure so I pealed the seal off a bit to show her. She said she just cannot stand buying wine with a fake cork. Now when it comes to twist caps on wine......I'll drink that too! Box wine is fine by me too.

I remember when the fake corks came out, it was a big deal down in CA. It caused a lot of commotion. All I can say is that the fake corks don't fall apart when you pull on them. I hate it when you have to push the broken cork into the wine bottle.

 

[Rugskipper]

Real cork = the poor mans fishing bobber.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I simply refuse to drink wine with twist caps.
The bottles with the corks in them have a much smoother lip and are a lot easier to drink out of.

 

[moosedog]

I am a traditionalist on most matters and relutant to change, but a plastic cork never shrinks (not that a bottle of wine will last that long at my house) and it doesn't come apart while pulling it out.

Also you are saving the "cork trees" in the rain forest that are on the endangered species list.

 

[psquarejr]

Really doesn't matter to me, but if a bottle of wine that has a real cork is stored properly, on its side at an angle so the air is trapped at the bottom of the bottle neck and the cork inside is wet, will never dry rot and fall apart. Some people tell me they can taste the difference between cork types and if a bottle has been stored wrong with a real cork.

 

[therevjay]

I simply refuse to drink wine with twist caps.
The bottles with the corks in them have a much smoother lip and are a lot easier to drink out of.

I hope you insist on it being served with the bottle wrapped in the classic brown paper bag, no plastic! Gawd I think a plastic bag is tacky.

 

[moosedog]

Actually a plastic bag is acceptable where I live if it has a big store name on it, like Meijers or Sam's Club.

 

[Texas Star]

I think you are referring to serious synthentic corks, not cheap ones in twist-off caps.

Assuming that they seal as well as real cork, I think they may be better, but until they have been used for some 50 years, the jury will still be out.

Rodney Strong makes rather full Cabernets, does he not? Never had one; just read about the winery. The lady in question may prefer a lighter wine, relatively speaking.

I don't know California wines as well as I do French ones, but Jordan may be the best bet, or a St. Julien from Bordeaux. Chateau Beaucaillou is excellent, or Chateau Beycheville. Chateau Margaux or Ch. Lascombes in Margaux go very well with lamb, in particular. I prefer the slightly fuller wines from St. Julien to Margaux, on the whole. If you're having a full-flavored beef dish or game, you may like the still fuller wines from Pauillac. Any major wine book will inform you about them, or Hugh Johnson's annual pocket guides. I think he still writes those.

If you need something less costly, try the better Chilean estates, like Vina Santa Carolina. They will knock your socks off, for the money. I have had some that nearly rivalled St. Julien wines, for far less money! In fact, I think they may surpass some Cru Bourgeois and other commune wines from St. Julien, which has an unusually high quality level for the entire commune.

In Californian wines, I have been very impressed by the Jordan estate. Also, by Stag's Leap. I met the owner some years back and asked if he had in mind to imitate Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. He admitted that this was so, and his wines have achieved very prestigious awards, even in France.

But I'd tell that lady to look hard at Cabernets from the best vineyards in Chile and at Columbia Crest and Ch. Ste. Michelle in Washington for best buys.

I can't keep up with who all is using synthetic corks now, but if these vintners or their close rivals are doing it, they must be okay, and be less subject to decline over the years than real cork. I share your dismay on finding a cork that crumbles on being drawn. If that happens, decant the wine and fish out any bits of cork before pouring.

Bon appetit!

T-Star

 

[diamonback68]

They did studies on this with stored wine over a long period of time and twist capped wine showed less coloration and less change of taste over time. In every test catagory the twist caps beat the corks. Saw it on TV so I believe it.

 

[pharmer]

I like to stab a hole in the side of the box and pour it down. Joe

 

[NCTexan]

I'm fine with synthetic corks... I've had way too many corked wines that opened up bad.

 

[pawncop]

I really think the screw cap is the wave of the future. But to answer the question, I do not care.

 

[H Richard]

In the lighter wines, the Australian vintages and the S. African are very good, reminiscent of the light German wines. There are also some Washington State vintages that are excellent. Chauteu St Michele, and just across the street, Columbia. As far a corks go, I prefer natural cork, but I did see article that the synthetic corks were actually superior in stopping any air infiltration.

 

[jframe]

I made it a lot of miles with girls in high school by simply purchasing a two dollar bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, and spinning the cap off to pour it into a couple of small Burger King cups. Nuttin fancy, just smooth, cheap taste!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I made it a lot of miles with girls in high school by simply purchasing a two dollar bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, and spinning the cap off to pour it into a couple of small Burger King cups. Nuttin fancy, just smooth, cheap taste!

You are dating yourself youngster. I was drinking when Boones Farm first came out (15 ) and it was a $1.25 /bottle at the corner bar-.99 at the stop n' rob (along with the .99/six pak of Ballintine ale I think everyone tried at least one bottle-you got a much better buzz than with a quart of Dixie, but you paid for it the next day That is unless you were lucky enough to puke before you went to bed!

 

[loutent]

This will change the screw-cap snobbery:

 

[jkc]

An opened bottle of wine has to last quite a while around here, given my modest and only occasional consumption, so I've acquired a clever gadget that preserves the wine, even in an upright positioned bottle, and unrefrigerated --- its a "system" comprised of special synthetic rubber corks with a one-way air valve, and a little manual pump that sucks all the air out of the bottle creating a vacuum in which wines such as Merlot or Pinot Noir stored at room temperature seem to last in good condition for days, at least, maybe longer. Chardonnay, refrigerated, seems to have no limit on shelf life with this system. The brand name is Vacu-Vin, not much money for the pump --- maybe ten bucks, and a few dollars more for a few of the special corks. Allows a modest consumer like me to buy a quality wine, happy in the knowledge that I'm not squandering money on an indulgence that will spoil before it's used up.

Texas Star is right about some Chilean imports --- Costco has a first-rate (by my unsophisticated measure) Chilean Pinot Noir, Monteverde, I think, at a very reasonable price, about $14 if I recall correctly.

 

[deadin]

For all the wine snobs, don't put down inexpensive wine as not worth trying.
Go to a Trader Joe's (West Coast and Eastern US) and give the Charles Shaw varieties a try. (Better known as 2 Buck Chuck on the West Coast. $1.99 in CA, $2.99 here in WA. Don't know the price back east.

Oh yeah...Real corks.....

 

[jkc]

For all the wine snobs, don't put down inexpensive wine as not worth trying.
Go to a Trader Joe's (West Coast and Eastern US) and give the Charles Shaw varieties a try. (Better known as 2 Buck Chuck on the West Coast. $1.99 in CA, $2.99 here in WA. Don't know the price back east.

Oh yeah...Real corks.....

The local Trader Joes stocks some Charles Shaw varieties at the very cheap price range you've cited. I've only tried the CS Merlot, which won't win any high-falutin' awards, but is entirely acceptable to my unsophisticated palate as table wine, for not much more money than bottled water. A very good buy, by my reckoning...

 

[CelticSire]

Speaking of wines...