Screwcaps

interest:

I read the article. The big difference to me is when I open a bottle that's tainted with TCA (about 5% is my rough average), there's nothing I can do about it. With reduction, you can either do the penny trick or decant. 2% of the time having to use copper or decant is a lot better than 5% down the drain.

Of course, it also seems to me that the reduction problems are more common in wineries that have just switched to screwcaps, and haven't adjusted the rest of their winemaking/bottling procedures.

Off to drink '89 Lafite, Lynch Bages, Certan de May, GPL, etc. And just poured out first bottle of Certan de May- corked!!!!!!!!

What's the penny trick, Dale? I'm not familiar with it.

Its always dangerous when I venture into chemistry, wait for Mark to correct me. But basically the reductive chemicals (hydrogen sulphide?) react with copper to form copper sulfide (which has no aromas). So you drop a clean penny (pennies are actually mostly zinc now, but its the copper coating that counts) into glass or decanter, wait 5-10 minutes. Can also use copper wire, other copper coins, etc. Not always foolproof, but works maybe 90% of the time

With TCA you could try the polythene bag trick.

Steve Slatcher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

It didn't work well enough for me to waste my time when I can return the bottle for credit.

Thanks, Dale. New to me, as I said.

TBH, even if I could not return the bottle I am not sure I would bother any more either. Except as some sort of geeky experiment that is. I have noticed TCA reduction, but never entirely removed the taint, and the bag usually introduces a plasticy taste.