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Authors: Michael Steinberger
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general, only the finest ones do, and how much they improve over time, and how long they will last, varies from vintage to vintage. Broadly speaking, white wines age on their acidity, red wines on their acidity and tannins (though it must be acknowledged that some of the greatest red wines of the last century came from vintages that were relatively low in acidity). Whether white or red, wines that come from warm, ripe years have the most aging potential.
To me, the most persuasive argument against costly wines is a slightly picayune one: fear of 2, 4, 6-trichloroanisole, or TCA, a chemical compound that is harmless to humans but lethal for wines. TCA is what makes a wine âcorked,â giving it an off-putting damp cardboard aroma and rendering it lifeless on the palate. When you hear people talking about corked wines, this is what they mean, and it is estimated that 5â10 percent of wines sealed with natural cork are tainted in this way. If it is a $10 Côtes du Rhône you bought last week, no big deal; you take it back to the store and exchange it. But if it is a 1986 Ramonet Montrachet thatâs been sleeping in your basement for fifteen years, youâre screwed: the wine is undrinkable, and the store that sold it to you, if it is still in business, is probably not going to refund your money.
T HE W INE W ORLDâS S EARCH FOR C LOSURE
For an oenophile, there is no bigger buzz kill than opening a wine youâve eagerly anticipated drinking and discovering that it is corkedâand if you drink wine long enough, this is bound to happen to you, probably more than once. As you might imagine, lots of wine enthusiasts, and many producers, too, have long wished for an alternative to natural cork and an end to the problem of corked bottles. Those prayers have been answered: several alternative closures for wine bottles are now available. However, they are not without problems, too.
The most prevalent alternative is the screw cap, which in certain places, such as Australia and New Zealand, has overtaken natural cork. But screw caps have some serious flaws. One of the advantages of natural cork is that it permits a little oxygen to seep into the bottle, which helps wines to age well. But screw caps admit no oxygen, and as a result, the wine often shows signs of what is called reduction, which expresses itself in the form of a rotten-egg or cabbagelike aroma. (If youâve ever had a âskunkedâ beer, it is the same smell.) Some evidence also suggests that screw caps donât hold up well over timeâthat they start to decay after a certain pointâwhich would obviously be a strong disincentive for producers of fine wines ( grand cru and premier cru Burgundies, classified-growth Bordeaux, and the like) to use them. A number of those producers are known to be experimenting with screw caps to see how the wines fare over the course of ten or more years. Even if the results are encouraging, it will probably be a long time before you start seeing screw caps on high-priced Burgundies and Bordeaux.
Some winemakers are bottling their wines under synthetic corks, but these have been shown to be rather poor sealants, permitting too much oxygen into the bottle. Glass stoppers are now also on the market, but they are relatively costly, which has thus far prevented them from catching on in a big way. In the meantime, there is at least some anecdotal evidence that natural cork manufacturers, faced with rising competition, have improved the reliability of their closures and that the incidence of cork taint is declining. That would seem to be the best solution of all, because natural cork really does excel as a stopper. Andâcall me sentimental, call me a Luddite or a flat-eartherâI will also admit that I adore the sound of a popping cork; it is part of the romance of wine, and I would hate to lose it. Lose it if we must, I say, but Iâd rather we do not.
I S T HERE A S TATUTE OF L
To me, the most persuasive argument against costly wines is a slightly picayune one: fear of 2, 4, 6-trichloroanisole, or TCA, a chemical compound that is harmless to humans but lethal for wines. TCA is what makes a wine âcorked,â giving it an off-putting damp cardboard aroma and rendering it lifeless on the palate. When you hear people talking about corked wines, this is what they mean, and it is estimated that 5â10 percent of wines sealed with natural cork are tainted in this way. If it is a $10 Côtes du Rhône you bought last week, no big deal; you take it back to the store and exchange it. But if it is a 1986 Ramonet Montrachet thatâs been sleeping in your basement for fifteen years, youâre screwed: the wine is undrinkable, and the store that sold it to you, if it is still in business, is probably not going to refund your money.
T HE W INE W ORLDâS S EARCH FOR C LOSURE
For an oenophile, there is no bigger buzz kill than opening a wine youâve eagerly anticipated drinking and discovering that it is corkedâand if you drink wine long enough, this is bound to happen to you, probably more than once. As you might imagine, lots of wine enthusiasts, and many producers, too, have long wished for an alternative to natural cork and an end to the problem of corked bottles. Those prayers have been answered: several alternative closures for wine bottles are now available. However, they are not without problems, too.
The most prevalent alternative is the screw cap, which in certain places, such as Australia and New Zealand, has overtaken natural cork. But screw caps have some serious flaws. One of the advantages of natural cork is that it permits a little oxygen to seep into the bottle, which helps wines to age well. But screw caps admit no oxygen, and as a result, the wine often shows signs of what is called reduction, which expresses itself in the form of a rotten-egg or cabbagelike aroma. (If youâve ever had a âskunkedâ beer, it is the same smell.) Some evidence also suggests that screw caps donât hold up well over timeâthat they start to decay after a certain pointâwhich would obviously be a strong disincentive for producers of fine wines ( grand cru and premier cru Burgundies, classified-growth Bordeaux, and the like) to use them. A number of those producers are known to be experimenting with screw caps to see how the wines fare over the course of ten or more years. Even if the results are encouraging, it will probably be a long time before you start seeing screw caps on high-priced Burgundies and Bordeaux.
Some winemakers are bottling their wines under synthetic corks, but these have been shown to be rather poor sealants, permitting too much oxygen into the bottle. Glass stoppers are now also on the market, but they are relatively costly, which has thus far prevented them from catching on in a big way. In the meantime, there is at least some anecdotal evidence that natural cork manufacturers, faced with rising competition, have improved the reliability of their closures and that the incidence of cork taint is declining. That would seem to be the best solution of all, because natural cork really does excel as a stopper. Andâcall me sentimental, call me a Luddite or a flat-eartherâI will also admit that I adore the sound of a popping cork; it is part of the romance of wine, and I would hate to lose it. Lose it if we must, I say, but Iâd rather we do not.
I S T HERE A S TATUTE OF L
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