Vine

[Artemis]

Pepsi max is my wine...

 

[danalec99]

Geez Branson has his hand in every pot these days!

I love his attitude!

 

[Karalee]

Yeah Im just jealous, I wanna live on his island its so cool. I wanna hit golf balls off the roof and into the water

 

[PetersCreek]

I have no problem with a marketing campaign to demystify wine a bit and pitch it to a new generation...

...but screw tops? For the love of Dionysus, man!

Terri echoes my sentiment. If you don't like wine, you probably just haven't met the right one yet.

Same goes for the brown stuff, Terri. Have you given single malt Scotch a try yet? I've never been the biggest fan of whiskey but recently got hooked on the singles. The Glen Livet is a good place to start. Adding a varying amounts of pure water will tame the alcohol and bring out some of the more subtle flavors. Glen Morangie is another. Fair warning though, if you try others and run into one that's too strong in the peat flavor, don't let it turn your off. They vary widely by region and distillery and that particular flavor is one many have to acquire a taste for.

 

[tmpadmin]

I have no problem with a marketing campaign to demystify wine a bit and pitch it to a new generation...

...but screw tops? For the love of Dionysus, man!

I was going to say this without the quote before I read your post but it was there. Corks lend little or nothing to the wine. Synthetic closures are either just as good or better. And the "proof"
http://www.dromanaestate.com.au/content.asp?newsID=92193

 

[KevinR]

I was going to say this without the quote before I read your post but it was there. Corks lend little or nothing to the wine. Synthetic closures are either just as good or better. And the "proof"

For me it's the history and ritual of pulling the cork. It just seems wrong to unscrew the cap on a fine wine.

Terri, if you get the chance try a 12 but perferably an 18 year The Macallan. Changed me forever on scotch.

 

[terri]

Thanks, Kevin and Peterscreek, for the recommendations! :thumbup:

Cork has nothing to do with wine, no. Gosh, I never thought I'd see the old cork vs synth debate here! In some circles, it's as heated a debate as film vs digital. And about as pointless.

You run only the risk of encountering a "corked" (read: ruined) wine if you always go for wines with real corks. Real corks are subject to a potential chemical reaction between the bark of the tree and the chlorine used for washing at the time of bottling, despite the wineries' best efforts. It can cause a reaction which can be subtle, or overwhelming enough to make a wine undrinkable. I didn't look at the link up there but I'm sure it's pointing this out. Generally, you'll never encounter this, obviously, if you stay away from corks. There are several top-end wineries that are using synthetic corks these days.

I like corks, though. I like the look and the feel of them, and some wineries are very artistic with their corks. :thumbup:

 

[PetersCreek]

I was going to say this without the quote before I read your post but it was there. Corks lend little or nothing to the wine. Synthetic closures are either just as good or better.

Oh, I'm not unmindful of cork's problems and I'm well aware of the studies on cork alternatives. I don't dispute that cork lends little positive character to a wine's flavor. A few of my regular wines are synthetically corked. I'm not a complete dinosaur, after all.

However, flavor is but one part of the wine-drinking experience. Other aspects include history, mystique, craftsmanship, and elegance, to name a few. The cork is an icon of the experience. While I will certainly enjoy the improved flavors synthetics/caps offer...and I won't miss cork taint in the least...I will lament cork's passing all the same.

If only they could come up with a synthetic cork that looks and feels at least a little like the original.