2008 Woodie Awards
Myths regarding wine rebuked
THE UNDERAGE CONNOISSEUR
Chris Cottrell
Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: Leisure
The cure to this random act of wine violence is to get rid of the cork. Screw tops and artificial corks (rubber or plastic) eliminate this problem completely. Now, some may say that a screw top removes the romance from opening a bottle. And I can't argue with that (although artificial corks was a nice solution) but I love the convenience of a screw top, especially with picnic season coming up (yeah I like picnics, I'm comfortable with that). So do not judge a wine by its top but by the quality of its character.
While we are on the topic of corks I want to tell everyone something. Please, for the sake of the children, do not smell a cork after opening a bottle. I used to do that. I thought, hey, I can smell what the wine is like. No, I couldn't. All I could smell was cork. If you smell a cork you not only look silly but waste precious drinking time. A bloodhound couldn't smell the nuances of a wine by smelling a cork. Open the wine, pour a glass and if you are still longing for a relationship with that cork, put it in your pocket and get a room.
Recommendations:
• Mt. Langhi Billi Billi Shiraz $14.99 - A big, fruit forward red wine from Victoria Australia. For those who want a lush, full bodied wine that still retains a great balance.
• Graf Hardegg Gruner Veltliner "V": $11.99 - A wonderful value wine from one great grapes and producers of Austria. Crisp and floral with plenty of great acidity and tart fruit.
Next week I will uncover a few more unknowns and misconceptions about wine. If anyone has a piece of information about wine that they think may be false or need to settle a bet, please e-mail me at theunderageconnoisseur@gmail.com.
To read more of Chris Cottrell's writing on wine and the adventures he encounters while working in the business as a college student, visit his blog. Also, feel free to e-mail Chris with any questions or concerns you have about wine and he will do his best to answer them, and - who knows - maybe write an article on the topic.
Blog:
http://theunderageconnoisseur.blogspot.com
Email:theunderageconnoiseur@gmail.com
While we are on the topic of corks I want to tell everyone something. Please, for the sake of the children, do not smell a cork after opening a bottle. I used to do that. I thought, hey, I can smell what the wine is like. No, I couldn't. All I could smell was cork. If you smell a cork you not only look silly but waste precious drinking time. A bloodhound couldn't smell the nuances of a wine by smelling a cork. Open the wine, pour a glass and if you are still longing for a relationship with that cork, put it in your pocket and get a room.
Recommendations:
• Mt. Langhi Billi Billi Shiraz $14.99 - A big, fruit forward red wine from Victoria Australia. For those who want a lush, full bodied wine that still retains a great balance.
• Graf Hardegg Gruner Veltliner "V": $11.99 - A wonderful value wine from one great grapes and producers of Austria. Crisp and floral with plenty of great acidity and tart fruit.
Next week I will uncover a few more unknowns and misconceptions about wine. If anyone has a piece of information about wine that they think may be false or need to settle a bet, please e-mail me at theunderageconnoisseur@gmail.com.
To read more of Chris Cottrell's writing on wine and the adventures he encounters while working in the business as a college student, visit his blog. Also, feel free to e-mail Chris with any questions or concerns you have about wine and he will do his best to answer them, and - who knows - maybe write an article on the topic.
Blog:
http://theunderageconnoisseur.blogspot.com
Email:theunderageconnoiseur@gmail.com
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