A cure for TCA?

I've been discussing this device with other wine enthusiasts recently, Tom. I must say that I'm a bit skeptical about their reasoning, but it may very well work. As I see it, this ionized copolymer is essentially a large, insoluble detergent. The TCA probably adsorbs irreversibly to the greasy interior of the polymer and is removed in that way. What remains to be seen is whether other greasy flavor components such as some of the esters that result in "fruity" odors and flavors also get pulled out of the wine. Along these same lines, Jamie Goode

has reported "curing" TCA taint by letting the open bottle sit in proximity (or contact?) with some balled-up plastic wrap. It's basically the same idea: extraction of the TCA out of the wine and into a hydrophobic (greasy) solid. You could do the same thing by washing the wine with benzene, but would you want to drink it afterward?

Mark Lipton

I suppose you'd have to do a double blind tasting with both a "clean" wine and the same wine intentionally adulterated with TCA to tell for sure. I'd guess that the former would _always_ taste better.

Still, it might be a good idea to have this gizmo on hand for the occasional bad bottle - especially if it's an _expensive_ bad bottle. These things aren't cheap, so I wouldn't use one on a bottle of Charles Shaw...

Tom S

Benzene, eh? Mark, I can see a market for One Hour Wine Dry Cleaning in Napa. Imagine, dropping off that tainted magnum of Caymus SS and having them "dry clean" if for you, while you wait - One Hour Martinizing for wine!!

Thanks for your take on this, Hunt

Once again it's a cure that we, consumers, should pay for.

How about TCA-free closures right from the beginning?

M.

Well sure, but if this can redeem an old bottle that has sat tainted for 20+ years and is essentially irreplaceable I'd say it's a useful - if not priceless - thing to have on hand.

Tom S

IF - and only IF - it works as they say, which I have the most serious doubts.

A friend of mine worked for 20 minutes trying to recover a TCA-spoiled bottle of Sassicaia 1985 (with the plastic alimentation foil said to have the same characteristics). At the end TCA was away - but no trace of fruit was there either.

M.