Let’s Twist Again
Do you remember that song? If you do you, must
be over A Certain Age. It was made famous back in 1961 by Chubby Checker as I
recall. The twist may have long since disappeared but some things just don’t go
away. One of them is the argument about whether wine bottles should have
traditional corks, artificial corks or no corks at all. The alternative to cork
- the twistable screw cap - is a metal thing that fits on the neck of the bottle
and usually has a metal skirt to resemble the traditional foil. Inside it,
there’s a layer of plastic, rubber, or other material which creates a seal with
the top of the bottle. It’s better than cork at keeping the air out.
As to those very few wines that need twenty or thirty years of ageing to be at
their best, well, that’s a different matter. Cork, with a centuries-old
tradition is usually considered ideal for that purpose. But is it? For
generations, it’s been assumed that that the slow intake of oxygen through a
cork plays a vital role in ageing a wine. But more recently, some wine experts
have argued that if the cork is perfect, the incoming oxygen is virtually zero,
and that any oxygen is detrimental to the wine. No one really seems to know for
sure.
Cork can be unreliable. It’s been estimated that 2% of all bottles of wine are
damaged by cork taint (“corked”) and an even greater percentage through
oxidation. Wine becomes “corked” when the cork is infected with a fungus that
produces a chemical known by the poetic name of 2, 4, 6-trichloroanisole. This
makes the wine smell dank, like a wet dog. And if you’re not quite sure what a
wet dog smells like, you’re welcome to borrow one of mine after it’s been out in
the rain. There will, of course, be a modest fee.
Faulty bottles are more likely to be oxidized rather than corked. Oxidization
turns white wines yellowish and red wines take on an orange tinge and smell of
jammy cooked fruit. It usually happens because of bad storage or transit. When
cases of wine are left lying around in a hot loading bay, or spend hours
sweltering in the back of a truck, the wine expands in the bottles and sometimes
pushes the corks out a little way. When the wine finally cools down, air is
sucked into the bottle and oxidization happens.
Screw caps have a much lower failure rate, because they prevent oxidation and
give the wine a better chance of reaching you in good condition. They’re easier
to open too. If I were a wine waiter, I’d much prefer to twist screw-caps all
evening rather than go through the tortuous Ballet of the Corkscrew. If you want
to impress your friends, the technical name of the screw-cap is a Stelvin
Closure, named after the most well-known brand which was developed by Rio Tinto
Alcan in the late 1960s and 1970s.
“The Pump” Chardonnay 2011 (white), Australia (Bt. 355
@ Friendship)
This comes from a winery called Jindalee, which sounds
more like a character from The Mikado than a winery. But apparently it’s an
Aboriginal word that means “bare hills”. Founded by the brothers Vince and David
Littore, Jindalee Estate (“We’re wild about our wine”) is one of the largest
privately-owned vineyards in Southeastern Australia with over 1,400 acres of
land. They produce nearly two million bottles of wine a year including some high
quality table wines.
This wine actually smells like a Chardonnay which is a good start, with classy
aromas of warm, sweet fruit, notably peaches and melons. When the bottle has
been open for a while, you might pick up a faint whiff of lime too. There’s
plenty of fruit on the palate and just a tiny dash of acidity to firm it up. The
wine is clean and dry, a hint of fruity sweetness and a long, dry and pleasing
finish. I rather enjoyed this and I have to admit it rather exceeded my
expectations. Although it’s quite crisp and lively, it’s very much a commercial
Aussie easy-to-drink style and it could well appeal to people who don’t normally
drink wine. It’s fine on its own but could make a good partner for light fish or
chicken dishes.
“The wine,” says the back label “is made with a sense of adventure and
irreverence.” What this actually means is anyone’s guess. Honestly, I haven’t a
clue.
“The Pump” Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon (red), Australia (Bt. 355 @ Friendship)
The aroma of this dark red wine is dominated by the Shiraz in the blend: that
intense seductive black olive, peppery, plum-jam aroma that you’ll recognise if
you’ve ever stuck your snout in a glass of Shiraz. “And who hasn’t?” I hear you
ask, for Shiraz must be one of the most popular wines around. Well, I have to
tell you that one of my dogs called Ee-ah has never tasted Shiraz, because she
refuses to touch red wine. Apparently it brings on one of her migraines, or so
she claims. If you ask me, she’s a bit of a hypochondriac. You know what Thai
dogs are like.
Oh dear, now where was I? You know, when you get to that Certain Age it’s very
easy to lose track of things. Ah yes, the Shiraz. But there’s also Cabernet
Sauvignon in the blend, which you’ll know already if you’ve been paying
attention. The Cabernet brings the typical reminders of black fruit and cherries
and adds a bit of firmness.
It doesn’t take long to realise that despite the decent price, this is also a
decent wine. It’s an attractive easy-drinker with a soft, rounded texture. It’s
a few degrees away from being bone dry and has a satisfying fruity finish. I’ll
be quite happy to drink a few glasses of this on its own, although it would go
well with many red meat and cheese dishes. Alright then, I’d admit it: the wine
is a bit of a crowd-pleaser. But there’s nothing wrong in that. After all, so
was Johann Strauss. Just think of all those waltzes and marches that he churned
out. He probably enjoyed a few glasses of Shiraz from time to time too. But of
course in those days, he would have had to pull a cork and not do the twist.