Hey gang. I haven't been around in a while, but thought this would be the place for some straight info on my recent frustrations.
I've recently encountered some diabolical new "dip" method of creating a seal capsule. The traditional lead foil is seldom encountered anymore, particularly on American wines. A shrink-wrap sort of closure is common and not problematic.
In the last couple of months I've run into some California bottlings that are using a wax dip, sort of like the candle wax simulation you find on Maker's Mark bourbon. I can still deal with it, although it tends to be messy and crumbling when trying to slice a portion off to access the cork.
The frustration comes from what apparently is a plastic sealant. This looks at first glance like a wax dip but when it comes to opening time, the stuff is nearly impervious to simple tools. It will not slice with a foil cutter or a standard waiter's friend corkscrew knife blade. It doesn't yield to a high quality, sharp santoku. Eventually it must be chopped to break an entry hole which then must be pried away in quarter inch chunks before an opening to get at the cork is revealed.
California syrah was the wine. Napa valley was the region. The wine was reasonably good, but the effort to get at it might it something to avoid in the future. I'd really love to see a sommelier at a quality restaurant deal with the damnable things.
Anybody seen this? Any technique recommendations? Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)