The Problem of Michael Scarpotti

Of course it wasn't mature, but what does that have to do with your previous statement of:

Andy

Peel an apple and watch it turn brown. See how long it takes. The same thing is happeneing to your wine as it sits out in the air.

Oxidation may conceivably 'improve' a grossly immature wine, but only because it is immature, and only for a brief period.

Perhaps long enough to drink it... :-)

Dana

No it's not. Bi!!

Perhaps. But as I said, I don't like raw wines. Barbera, in particular, is often sold very young, far too young for my tatse.

It probably won't surprise you that every time someone asks me "I have this really old wine, how long should I let it breathe?", I invariably answer "it'll breathe enough in your glass, if you wait too long, you'll likely miss it".

But 90% of wine is consumed shortly after purchase, so many bottles are consumed as children, and some exposure to air often makes them better.

You started using the term "mature", and even that is open to interpretation. My sense of a "mature" wine is perhaps a little different than yours, in that I think of a wine that's at or near "peak". A little air seems to always do such a wine some good. Wines that I consider "over-the-hill" are the ones that air just kills.

Cheers, Dana

I quite agree. Do you imbibe much Barbera? It's usually sold very young. I like it much older than that. That does not apply to Dolcetto, however, except for Dolcetto di Dolgliani, which ages far better than Asti or Alba.

I quite agree. Do you imbibe much Barbera? It's usually sold very young. I like it much older than that. That does not apply to Dolcetto, however, except for Dolcetto di Dolgliani, which ages far better than Asti or Alba.

I quite agree about 'peak'.

Do you imbibe much Barbera? It's usually sold very young. I like it much older than that. That does not apply to Dolcetto, however, except for Dolcetto di Dolgliani, which ages far better than Asti or Alba.

R you guys(posters & repliers) sure its not the plural uranium you should be using but the singular "Uranus"

Yes, it is. The problem with wine is that you cannot 'see' it. With the apple, it's visible.

No, it's not. Bi!!

Salut/Hi RV WRLee,

le/on 19 Sep 2004 10:14:04 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Bill, Bill... facts don't trouble trolls. All they want is to be noticed.

Of course you're right, the oxidation processes in wine are quite different from those which turn fruit brown. BUT Michael is right in that both processes involve oxidation. But as we both know perfectly well, that's entirely irrelevant. Apples, pears, peaches and most fruits _don't_ benefit from oxidation, although it might be the case that fruit wines made from them could, upon opening the bottle. Many wines DO benefit from aeration, and although the _fundamental chemical process_ may be the same, the reasons and the results are quite different.

Michael's view of aeration is the archetypical justification of the dictum "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing".

Please - do not feed the trolls!

M.

You can't see the oxidation on an apple?

Ian and group. I know that an apple oxidizes when it's peeled etc. It's not exactly the same chemical process that occurs in wine but it is oxidation so I have just a shred of fact to back me up but in reality I was just giving him a dose of his own medicine. I should have used the obligatory smiley. Sorry. Bi!!

I've heard that if you spread vitamin E around the surface of a cut apple, that will prevent oxidation. Maybe everyone, when they open a bottle of wine, should drop a capsule of vitamin E into it. That would solve everyone's problem and end this stupid thread. ;-)

Vino

Oops, I just realized I was the one that started this thread. My apologies for the direction it has taken. :-(

Vino