Screwcap Wine Survey (5-10 Minutes)

Lauren: your survey was very difficult. You asked what the price of the wines I bought "last month." Last month was not typical. No month is typical. When a good European vintage is being shipped, I buy high priced wines. I am always looking for the great under $10 everyday wine during other months. While I said my primary pusher was a specialty shop, the grocery stores here on the West coast of the US carry some great QPR wines, and most of the higher priced wines I get through the internet, though I buy directly from the winery for some favorites. I have no prejudice regarding the stelvin cap. If the guest in your scenario brought a bottle of Annie Green Springs, I would have one opinion, but I assumed he/she brought something from Randall Grahm. (near Cal Poly)

Jim

"Lauren Jeter" wrote ....

Hi Lauren

I completed your survey - I am not sure if my response will be of any use.

You see, I am in New Zealand (you may not be aware that this forum is one of the most international in stature - and you never stated that you required participation from US residents only!)

In this country, over 80% of wine produced is sold under screwcap, and the average consumer is now "enlightened" enough to have abandoned any prejudice against screwcaps, and many hold suspicions of natural cork.

Good luck with the thesis.

st.helier

"Lauren Jeter" wrote ....

Hi Lauren

I completed your survey - I am not sure if my response will be of any use.

You see, I am in New Zealand (you may not be aware that this forum is one of the most international in stature - and you never stated that you required participation from US residents only!)

In this country, over 80% of wine produced is sold under screwcap, and the average consumer is now "enlightened" enough to have abandoned any prejudice against screwcaps, and many hold suspicions of natural cork.

Good luck with the thesis.

st.helier

I would agree with St Helier, there is a possible difference in perception between NZ in his case and UK in my case and the US regarding screwcaps. They are common over here on wines of all price points and people who appreciate wine have no problems with them.

It was the closing weekend of the Six Nations rugby competition over here in the UK - the equivalent I suppose of Superbowl day. The wines that my friends and I drank were

Santenay Charmes 2006 (Roger Belland) : B+/A Obvious infanticide and quite tannic for a PN - not unpleasantly so, just enough for the wine to be a bit tight. Qute delicate and leafy rather than fruit driven though some pleasant red berry fruit was there. Needs another 2-3 years at least.

Schroeder Estate Merlot 2008 : B+ Even more obvious infanticide for this unoaked Merlot made in Patagonia by Germans. Very fruit driven but somehow less in your face than a Merlot dominated Bordeaux produced in the "international" style. Probably not a keeper but a good glugger for the next 3 years or so.

Fiefs de Lagrange 2001: A Remarkably damsony and this good if slightly fuzzy fruit lasted well in the glass. Beautifully soft and integrated. Probably now at its peak.

Les Tourelles de Longueville 2004 : A Lighter, tighter, "drier" more cedary and more structured than the Fiefs. This impression increased by it having only come out of the "cellar" yesterday afternoon, so it was a bit colder. Once a bit warmer showed more focus than the Fiefs with blackcurranty fruit

Veuve Cliquot NV (when the Irish won)

Which of the reds came in screwcap?

James

Lauren,

being a Phd myself, I know how difficult is to get responses in a survey, I followed it.

Best of lucks,

s.

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news:8c45f1e2-bb73-4564-815d-7a5c6d071be8 @d25g2000prn.googlegroups.com:

So did I.

Same for me, I am in Austria, I am a full-time wine-writer, and I was the first to publish a pro-screw-cap article back in 2003. Meanwhile Austria is the European champion with a screwcap market share well over 70%, second on the planet only to New Zealand.

My last tasting (Austrian whites and rosés 2008, maximum alcohol

M.

I agree with the others that screw-caps are too normal to have general opinions about. For many of the questions, it is not possible to answer 'it is irrelevant', but that would be my answer to all those about what is appropriate or my opinion of people who bring screw-caps.

Sheila

That would sure be my question. Austria and New Zealand are renowned for their whites, which tend to be consumed early on. Same with reds designed to be consumed young. So I can see where screwcaps might not be an issue. But long-lived reds?

Jef

That was an easy one: Tourelles de Longueville.

That's the second wine of Pichon Baron. (I won't follow suit and call it "Pichon Longueville" as they themselves do.) Quite apparently the screwcapped version not only made it to the British market, but also to Austria, since I have such a bottle here in the rack.

The screwcap brand, btw, is "STELVIN® Lux+". "Lux" stands for the inside screw thread (so from the outside it looks like a normal capsule, at least to those not familiar with it). The "+" stands for an embossing on top.

M.

besides screwcap issue (see Michael Pronay already answered), thanks for the notes of the '01 Fiefs, I'll visit my bottles soon

Jury is still to decide. I have a number of NZ reds that I consider suitable for aging. Some are coming upto 5-6 years in bottle now but I'm not opening them yet, still plenty of older, cork closed examples to work through. Several wineries have done some testing and claim screwcaps are OK for long lived wine. Like I say, still to be tested by me.

cheers greybeard.

NZ makes some pretty nice pinot noirs. Some of them are getting screw caps. Boisset is also under screw cap, including some wines that are meant to have some age.

Other winemakers are putting things like age-worthy cabs under screw-caps also. I don't think anyone has been able to make a convincing case that the wines don't age as well.

When you are ready to compare that 1961 cos under screw cap with the same wine under a cork, let us all know!

st.helier wrote on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:49:10 +1300:

Just for interest's sake. About 4 days ago, I opened a McWilliam's Riesling (2006, NZ). It was a pleasant, slightly flinty, drinkable wine without much hint of sweetness. I can't say there were many esoteric tastes but, for reasons I won't go into, I have kept it in the fridge, drinking perhaps one glass a day. The bottle had a screw-top seal and I finished it tonight. It was still very drinkable and there was only a very slight taste of "hardness" at the back of my mouth.