Archive for the ‘wine classes’ Category
Get Thee To a Valentine..
(Note: Updated on February 3rd (Friday) 2012 – will be updated as events unfold or get Sold Out..)
I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, but like Halloween, it’s a celebration/festivity that has taken on a life of it’s own. And 2012 is no exception, there are just a plethora of Valentine’s tastings for both the chocolate and non-chocolate lover – I’m not even sure if the latter exists! Some quick thoughts on Valentine’s and tastings: if you’re a restaurant or event provider who wishes to really draw people in this time of year, any theme with chocolate, sparkling wine (especially Champagne) or some over-the-top rich dish like braised meats seems to bring people in in droves – oh, and also any food/concept connected with Amore, for example oysters and fondue (both chocolate and cheese work). It’s also OK to add terms like “seduction”, “decadent”, “aphrodisiac” and even “libido” to your menu descriptions which breaks away from the everyday norm of exclusion of these concepts – Valentine’s gives you as the marketer the right to explore the racier side of life..and people will accept and forgive you for about a week! Of course, certain cultures are also associated with lasciviousness so French and Italian restaurants and themes have a distinct advantage. If you have a strong combination of all of these themes and concepts, you can also expect a marriage proposal or two to occur – and hopefully, not with your staff!
Oh, and to make all this information just a touch more confusing..Valentine’s Day is officially Tuesday, February 14th, but many events list their date on Saturday or Sunday as “official” Valentine’s Day events – it’s a celebration of love and romance, does it really matter what the official date is? I think not..
I will list the major tastings by date (Note: if you’re just looking for a listing of restaurants that have multi-course dinners especially for Valentine’s, here’s a pretty good list by Washingtonian):
Thursday, February 9th,
Sommelier Showdown (as part of the DC International Food and Wine Festival), 7:00pm-9:00pm
Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20004
Tickets are $150/per person and can be Purchased Online
See top DC Sommeliers flex their knowledge at the Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival’s inaugural Sommelier Showdown. Our experts will engage in a friendly tête-à-tête and compete in a race of the taste, using deductive tasting to identify wines with hidden labels.
To complement the wines presented, the Showdown will feature five of DCs most noted chefs who will be tasked with bringing food and wine together, including Chefs Todd Gray (Equinox), Xavier Deshayes (Ronald Reagan Building), and Jaime Montes de Oca (Zentan).
***
Savory Syrah – A Global Tour
7 pm
Chain Bridge Cellars, 1351 Chain Bridge Rd. McLean, VA 22101
Wine experts all agree that Syrah is one of the “noble” varietals, capable of making some of the most complex, layered and age-worthy wines in the world. But the kinship between a $10 Aussie Shiraz and a $70 Hermitage is pretty hard to fathom! So take a worldwide tour of everything Syrah/Shiraz can be and see if you can find some common themes. We’ll taste bargains from Australia and the South of France; classic American, South African and Rhone wines; and a couple of “big guns” from the Barosa and Cote Rotie.
This class includes seven wines, Syrah-friendly snacks, and take-home descriptions of each wine and region covered.
To reserve a space, email wineteam@chainbridgecellars.com or call 703.356.6500
***
TasteDC Chocolate Making 101 at Wanders Chocolaterie
How to Blind Taste Wine
February 9th (Thursday) Session 1: 6 – 7:30 pm; and Session 2: 8 – 9:30 pm
Adour in The St. Regis, 923 16th and K Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20006
Wine Director Brent Kroll will conduct a sensory analysis on how to quantify wine flavors and origin.
Tickets are $60/per person.
Call (202) 509-8000 to Make Reservations
***
Friday, February 10th
French American Cultural Foundation Presents La Saint-Valentin at the Embassy of France
La Maison Francaise, 4101 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007
La Saint-Valentin…a soiree for everyone at the Embassy of France! Whether you’re single, a couple or a group of friends – this year, celebrate Valentine’s at the Embassy of France! Our fifth annual “La Saint-Valentin” will be held on Friday, February 10 at La Maison Française. Throughout the evening, enjoy an open bar, delectable pastries, live music and a silent auction with luxurious one-of-a-kind items!
Proceeds raised through this event will help support the numerous and varied activities of the French-American Cultural Foundation 501 (C)(3).
Purchase Tickets Online
***
Cupid’s Not Stupid, Cocktails to Fall For
Aria Pizzeria, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, 7:00pm-10:00pm
A valentine’s day themed cocktail reception with top DC mixologists engaging in a friendly cocktail. Mixologists Gina Chersevani of PS7’s Restaruant, Rachel Sergi from Jack Rose Tavern, and Dennis Burns from Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and Simo Ahmadi of Todd Gray’s Watershed will be creating a cocktail that represents cupid’s magical spell.
Admission includes sampling all five cocktails, wine, beer and light snacks. Join us on Friday, February 10th at 7pm at Aria Pizzeria & Bar in the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center.
Tickets are $55/per person and can Be Purchased Online
***
Saturday, February 11th
13th Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival
Actually a 2 Day event, it has added a Thursday Event (Sommelier Showdown) and a Friday Event (Cupid’s Not Stupid..) – this is really DC’s most popular and well known wine festival – TasteDC was actually a marketing partner back in 1999 when they first landed this event at the Ron Reagan Building.
Details: 150 international wineries pouring more than 600 wines for you to sample… Experience the wine regions of Argentina, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Spain and the U.S. all grouped together.
You can purchase Tickets for each of these individual or combined events online DC Food and Wine
General Admission – Sat 2/11 2pm-6pm – Includes glass and tasting. Tickets are $85.00 Plus a Service Fee of $3.12
General Admission – Sun 2/12 2pm-6pm Includes glass and tasting. Tickets are $80.00 Plus a Service Fee of $2.99
General Admission – Sat 2/11 AND Sun 2/12 Includes glass and tasting. Tickets are $145.00 Plus a Service Fee of $4.61
Cupid’s Not Stupid, Cocktails to Fall For – Fri 2/10 7pm, Tickets are $55.00 Plus a Service Fee of $4.02
VIP PACKAGE – (2) two-day tickets, (2) Cupid’s Not Stupid Tickets, (2) Sommelier Showdown Invites, Tickets are $600.00 Plus a Service Fee of $27.95 Sommelier Showdown – Thurs. Feb. 9th 7pm, Tickets are $150.00 Plus a Service Fee of $9.24
My Apologies in advance for how this information is listed – it’s a 2 day event with events on additional days – what can I say, it’s not a 2 day event anymore, they’ve added events on 2 more days – the key is that the Grand Tasting is the central event and it’s on Saturday and Sunday (you purchase tickets separately for each day, but you can purchase a 2 day pass). My experience with this event is it gets very crowded which means if you like crowds, you’ll love this event, and if you don’t..the secret is to go on Sunday and go early do your tasting and then leave! They moved this event to a larger venue a few times, but I think it lost a certain touch of class – the Ronald Reagan building has panache with it’s high ceilings and extraordinarily over-abundant security (I think each water fountain has security!).
***
Madfox Barleywine Festival
February 11th (Saturday) 11AM-Midnight
Mad Fox Brewing Co. 444 West Broad Street Suite I, Falls Church, VA 22046
Featuring our own Barleywines as well as the best barleywines brewed by our favorite breweries. Beers will rotate through the festival on draught and cask, while they last. Serving sizes are 4 oz. sample glasses. No admission cost, price per serving. See Beer List and Info.
This is a pay as you go event, no tickets sold, just show up.
***
Learn How to Host a Cocktail Party at Wildfire
February 11th (Saturday) 3 – 4 pm
Wildfire McLean, Tysons Galleria 3rd Floor, McLean, VA 22102
Learn from Wildfire’s Executive Chef Eddie Ishaq how to be the “hostess with the mostess” just in
time for Valentine’s Day weekend at Wildfire’s How To Host A Cocktail Party class. Join us at Wildfire
The chef will guide guests through today’s most popular cocktails paired with just-right-for-Valentine’s-Day appetizers and dessert.
Tickets are $30/per person (plus tax and gratuity). For more information or to make a reservation,
please contact Elissa or Amanda at 703.442.9110.
***
Culinaria Almost Valentine’s Day Dinner
February 11th (Saturday) 7:00-10:00 pm
Culinaria Cooking School, 110 Pleasant St, NW, Vienna, VA 22180
Join Chef Robyn as she prepares the perfect menu for Valentine’s Day or any other night of the year. Your sweetheart will love it.
MENU: Spinach Salad with Beets, Candied Walnuts & Goat Cheese; Pasta with Sausage, Olives & Sun-dried Tomatoes; Filet Mignon with Boursin & Mushrooms; Saffron Risotto; Kahlúa Truffle Triangles
INSTRUCTORS: Robyn Alexander and Pete Snaith
Tickets are $80/per person
Purchase Tickets Online
***
The Power of Chocolate
Both February 11th (Saturday) and 12th (Sunday) various programs from 10 am to 3:30 pm
National Museaum of the American Indian on the National Mall
Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20560
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) celebrates one of the world’s most beloved foods, chocolate. Theobroma cacao was for the Maya and the Aztec peoples, as its Latin name indicates, a “food of the gods.” Our festival presents a rare opportunity for visitors to explore chocolate’s culture, history, and place in contemporary society.
http://www.nmai.si.edu/Most Events are Free – More Info subpage.cfm?subpage=events&trumbaEmbed=view%3Dseries%26seriesid%3D626823
***
***
SOLD OUT-Vegan Craft Beer Dinner with Flying Dog Brewery
Saturday, February 11th, 8 pm
DC Bread & Brew,
1247 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
TasteDC Belgian Beer Fest 2008
Each course will consist of local, organic ingredients paired with Flying Dog’s beers, including their
newest release, Wildeman, a Farmhouse IPA – See Complet Menu on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/226490990771776/.
The great Tommy Hunter, DC Rep for Flying Dog Brewery, will be on hand to share with us the story of Flying Dog
and take us through the beer pairings as they are poured. Though the dinner’s four courses, we’ve got six awesome beers for you.
As a gift, each guest will be given Flying Dog’s new Belgian beer glassware as well as a little something sweet to take home.
SOLD OUT.
***
Sunday, February 12th
13th Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival
(See Above for Information and Tickets)
***
Valentine’s Day Pastry Class
February 12th (Sunday) 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Adour in The St. Regis, 923 16th and K Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20006
Surprise your loved one with a fun and instructive pastry class
on how to make Rose Macaroons and Chocolate Soufflés led by acclaimed Executive Pastry Chef Fabrice Bendano
Tickets are $75/per person. Event Link Calendar
Call (202) 509-8000 to Make Reservations
***
Wine and Chocolate Tasting Charity Fundraiser for National Multiple Sclerosis
February 12th (Sunday) 1 – 4 pm
Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro, 11750 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191
Featuring local Chocolatier MC2 Confections – Jacki’s Determined Soles the host to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The event includes winery representatives from Loudoun Valley Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars, Tarara Winery, and Notaviva Vineyards. Each winery will be pouring two wines specifically chosen to pair with chocolate from MC2 Confections.
Tickets are $15/per person
Purchase Tickets Online
***
Mixology Class: Bitters
Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: February 12, 2012 @ 5:30pm
Come learn everything you wanted to know (and probably more) about bitters! An essential class for anyone interested cocktails. This class also makes a great early Valentine’s Day gift for that cocktail lover in your life.
Tickets are $45/per person inclusive
Purchase Tickets Online
***
The Power of Chocolate (SEE INFORMATION ON FEBRUARY 11TH)
Both February 11th (Saturday) and 12th (Sunday) various programs from 10 am to 3:30 pm
National Museaum of the American Indian on the National Mall
Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20560
***
Monday, February 13th
A Wine Tasting – What’s in a Name?
I’ve organized or promoted over 1,000 wine tastings and wine classes in the Washington, D.C. area since 1997 through my organization TasteDC.com. A few times a week I get a phone call at headquarters (a room in my Georgetown townhouse with 2 computers, a color printer and a Fax..but it IS Ground Zero for DC wine tastings!) asking me to organize a wine tasting or class for a group of say maybe 15 people. What’s funny/unfortunate/amazing is that the call is almost always the same – THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A WINE TASTING IS OR WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR!
A wine tasting is an event from the TasteDC perspective – it has a beginning time, an ending time and a theme to fill the middle of the tasting. Say for example, a wine tasting of wine styles: rent a room, supply it with glassware (maybe a little food – cheese, crackers and bread would be nice!), a selection of wines with say three different “styles” (could be anything, but normally it might be light-bodied, medium-bodied and heavy-bodied wines) and put them at their own tables with volunteers pouring the wine..or people could pour their own wine – then we suggest you put out an information tasting sheet on each wine..
RECAP:
- Do you have a Date?
- Do you have a Venue?
- Do you have a wine “theme”?
There are literally thousands of ways to organize a wine tasting! I do want to make note – if you use the term “wine class” that most likely means a seated event with a speaker. Does a wine tasting necessarily need a speaker? No – the simple answer is sometimes (most of the time!) a speaker ads an unnecessary expense to a tasting – speakers charge for their services and the fees range significantly (I start at about $500 per event, but I have other ways to increase my profitability – hey, don’t attendees want a copy of my book “I Drink on the Job” ?
I’m going to write more about what to look for in a wine tasting – both for a private group and for a fun public form of entertainment – keep checking back – Cheers!
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
If It’s On Your Plate..Eat It!
Rocky Mountain Oysters by Executive Chef, Russell Cunningham, Dupont Grille, Jury HotelOysters from the Rocky's!
I hate picky eaters – not with a passion, but totally through self-interest: if you don’t try new things to eat and drink, you won’t be attending any of my wine or culinary events. Why? Because I always add adventurous foods and stories to TasteDC’s Events(blatant plug!) whenever possible. I’ve included in this Post below the complete menu from my 2006 “Unique and Unusual Food and Wine Festival”, check out the menu and click on link for photos.
As an anecdote, last night I taught the Wine Basics 101 class at TasteDC. I told everyone as I often do, that food is way more important than wine – you have to eat, wine is really just an added spice or nuance to the meal, no more. So I told everyone that food would be a primary focus of my introductory wine class – food and wine pairing, talking about food, cooking food, and experiencing food. I always say that if you understand how to cook and balance the flavors of a dish, then wine will come easy to you. I consider wine a missing component in a dish..well, let me digress.. So it was a small class of about 15 people and I noticed alot of ethnic/international diversity – a woman from India, one from Brazil, one from Togo (I think?) in Africa, and then a smattering of Americans from different parts of the country. DC is ethnically diverse. After talking about food and wine for awhile, I began to ask people for their favorite dishes and foods. The Indian woman mentioned she loved butter – which makes sense, because Indian food often incorporates ghee (clarified butter). To a Brazilian woman sitting next to her American boyfriend, I mentioned Feijoada and her eyes lit up – and all across the room most Americans acted disgusted when I mentioned that Feijoada is essentially the leftover parts of a pig stewed with beans – their equivalent to our chili. So I asked her if her boyfriend liked Feijoada..and then the long pause..that uncomfortable pause when a person begins to look for the right thing to say, for that special person to react in a certain way, and for the universe to somehow come to balance..no, her boyfriend didn’t like Feijoada, or for that matter anything she considered delicious, he was an..peanut butter and jelly sandwich addict! I don’t think I need to fill in the details..another woman at the event LOVED to eat food, oh she just adored food, she really enjoyed it..as long as it was white meat chicken “simply” prepared – no sauce, no seasoning, but grilling it was OK..oh, and she also enjoyed salmon..that’s it! Ohh, she had “tried” other foods (she said this in such a way like a young child looking for praise from her mother!) – gold star stuck to the forehead – but she would never consume these foods – too risky, I mean they would taste outside her comfort realm of chicken and salmon, simply prepared..I should have named this article “Peanut Butter and Jelly and a Little Chicken”..
No comment or explanation from me about the American palate – there’s plenty of discussion of that in my book I Drink on the Job – the only adjective that comes to mind is “limited (extremely)”..I’ll post more on this topic soon!
The complete Menu for TasteDC’s “Unique and Unusual Food and Wine Festival” below (Thumbnail Photos – Click to Enlarge – Here – Feel free to Post These Anywere, Permission Granted!
TasteDC’s 1st Annual “Unique and Unusual Food and Wine Festival”
Wednesday, October 25th, 2006
List of Chefs and Dishes:
Chef de Cuisine, James Phillips – Juniper Restaurant, Fairmont Hotel
1. Rattlesnake Gumbo with Sassafras Scented Rice
2. Pink Peppercorn and Wattleseed Crusted Ostrich Leg Roast with Diablo Hollandaise
Lebanese Taverna and 100 King Street
1. Veal Kidney with a Dijon Mustard Sauce – 100 King Restaurant
2. Hindbeh Bil Zayt (sautéed Dandelion Leaves in olive oil with garlic,
parsley, and caramelized onions) – Lebanese Taverna
Executive Chef Dan Wecker, The Elkridge Furnace Inn
1. Nut Crusted Sweetbreads with Pomegranate Syrup
2. Buckwheat Blini with American Caviar and Crème Fraiche
Executive Chef Daniel Labonne, Tabaq Bistro
1. Jerk Frog Legs with Jamaican Spices
2. Caribbean Tripe Stew with Grilled Bananas
Executive Chef Daniel Kenney, and Executive Sous Chef Neal Bailey, Willard Hotel
1. Barolo Braised Veal Cheek with Shropshire” Orange” Blue
2. “Bacon and Eggs”: House Cured Berkshire Pork Belly with Fried Quails Egg
Executive Chef, Russell Cunningham, Dupont Grille, Jury Hotel
1. Calf Fries
2. Smoked Duck and Fried Squash Blossom Salad with Port Reduction and Pumpkinseed Oil
Executive Chef Charlie Hansji, The Jefferson Hotel
1. Beef Bone Marrow and Liver Parfait
2. Lamb Brains in the Style of Peking
Executive Chef Jamie Stachowski, Restaurant Kolumbia
1. Terrine de Tête de Veau
2. Boudin Rouge, Black Mission Fig and Goat Cheese Strudel
Executive Chef, Stefan Jarausch, The Madison, a Loews Hotel
1. Stuffed Squash Blossoms, Braised Pigs Feet, Xerez Gastrique
2. Crostini of Beef Tongue, Basque Style
Executive Chef Bryan of Chef Bryan’s Kitchen
1. Llama Slider with Bleu Cheese and Rosemary Red Onion Jam
2. Grilled Cayman Tail (crocodile) with Smoked Tomato and Basil Butter
Executive Chef, Brian Boots, Elegance Ala Carte
1. Alligator Étouffée
2. Caramelized Fennel, Yucca and Jicama Puree served over Fried Sweet Potato Chips
Executive Chef Daniel Amaya, Dino’s
1. Polipo: Olive Oil Braised Octopus with Cici (garbanzos) and Lemony Vinaigrette
2. Crostata di Formaggi. Erborinato di Pecora Cheese Tartlet: cave aged raw sheep’s
milk cheese with natural bluing. Robiola La Rossa Cheese Tartlet: Cow and sheep
mixed milk cheese wrapped in cherry leaves that are macerated in grappa
As always, from Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
A Bit On Bordeaux..
Who says wine tastings are boring? On Tuesday, April 20th I attended a wine tasting sponsored by MacArthur’s Beverages at the Matisse Restaurant in Washington, D.C. with Jeffrey Davies, a well-known Bordeaux negociant, importer, and wine maker who actually is originally from the U.S. The event was to showcase the wines of Stephane Derenoncourt who unfortunately couldn’t make it because of the Icelandic volcano that erupted ash all over Europe and prevented him from flying into DC. This video is brief and covers some of the differences in how vines are chosen for the Right Bank vs. the Left Bank of Bordeaux. It was quite an educational experience for me as the tasting notes were extensive on the printed tasting sheet and included terms I was vaguely familiar with including microbullage and levurage
Twelve wines were tasted from a Gree Laroque 2005 priced at $20 to La Mondotte 2001 which will set you back $200 or so a bottle! There was also a special guest appearance by a winery that Monsieur Derenoncourt consults with in Virginia called Boxwood Winery – both the Boxwood Topiary Red 2007 and the Estate Red 2007 both at about $25/bottle showed very well against the French Bordeauxs – Rachel Martin, one of the owners spoke about making wine in Virginia at the event.
Oh, and for fun, here’s the video of Jeffrey on Wine Library TV:
The Wine Bar Craze in the U.S.
Los Asturianos in Madrid
I recently read this post and photo montage of great wine bars in the world from Travel and Leisure Magazine Europe’s Best Wine Bars and was amazed at the diversity of concepts. I’ve been contacting many wine bars in the Washington, D.C. area recently about their special events and educational wine class offerings and I’m noticing that they all have different concepts of what a wine bar should be. Some local wine bars have a chef and a full menu, while others simply serve charcuterie and glasses of wine. The majority have beer programs as well, but the commitment to beer varies across the board. Almost all have some type of specialty wine preservation system like Enomatic that uses Nitrogen or Argon as inert gases that displace air in the bottle and preserve the wine to some extent.
The question is how does one differentiate what designates a “wine bar” vs. a restaurant? If a restaurant has a bar and they primarily sell wine, does that make the restaurant a wine bar as well? If a wine bar has a chef and also sells wine, does that simply mean it’s a restaurant that sells wine as well? And what about the situation where a wine bar/restaurant also has a license to sell off-premise wine and beer – shouldn’t that be called a wine bartailer? In Virginia, there’s the interesting combination of a restaurant and a separate establishment next door of an off-premise wine retailer. Due to unusual laws, this allows consumers to walk into the wine store, purchase a bottle of wine and consume it next door in the restaurant dining area. Virginia doesn’t allow consumers to bring their own wine into a restaurant (also known as “corkage”) but it does allow these special establishments. These type of restaurants normally charge a fee for the privilege, but it is usually must cheaper to do this than to purchase a wine off a restaurant’s wine list.
I’m going to be doing more research into wine bars and their special event requirements as a I spend more time marketing my services as a wine professional for hire as a wine educator. Future blog posts will cover how wine bars increase their profitability through special events and special programs including private events. Hopefully, this information will help both existing wine bars and potential wine bar owners in their decision-making and will increase the quality and revenue generation of wine bars throughout the world – Cheers!
The Last Corkscrew
The Death of Cork?
I was on Lindsey Gustin’s cooking show on Channel 10 in Fairfax (public access) yesterday (http://geocities.com/chefsrecipes/index.html) when I noticed that out of the 9 bottles of wine I brought on the show, 3 had screwtops also known as Stelvin closures. Over at www.tastedc.com where I organize my many wine classes like the popular “Wine Basics 101″ and also the exciting “Introduction to the Wines of Italy: Wines of Sicily and the South” on Thursday, December 4th, I often notice that the wines being served have changed from cork to screwtop. For awhile, this was mostly Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, but I’m even seeing German Rieslings and the Shiraz from Australia had Stelvins too!
I’ve read alot about the cork vs. screwtop controversy (you can add in plastic corks too) and George Taber wrote a whole book on it “To Cork or Not to Cork” http://www.amazon.com/Cork-Not-Tradition-Romance-Science/dp/0743299345 which really covered the topic in depth. In a nutshell, cork comes from the bark of a tree primarily grown in Portugal and Spain. It’s a renewable resource, every 10 years bark is taken from the same trees and they continue to live and give cork bark for maybe around 200 years. The problem is with the world demand for cork for wine, the cork industry has a tough time “curing” the cork so that it is free of offending organisms. Something like 3% to 8% of all wines sold have a TCA problem also known as 2,4,6 trichlooanisole or cork taint. The offensive odor can be noticed in very small amounts in solution, it has a very mildewy wet cardboard aroma.
So if you manufactured a product and sold it to the public, but 1 out of 20 was defective, would you consider this an acceptable fault rate? Probably not, but it is a reality. And the solution seems to be just a better closure – and screwtops have been used successfully in many consumer applications and have worked very well. A few other points to mention:
- corks break and seep air; screwtops really do not,
- if you store wines for more than a few months, you need to lay them down horizontally if they have a cork because if the cork grows dry, it will seep in air; Screwtop wines are perfectly fine standing them up in storage,
- corks are hard to get out and need some type of corkscrew; Screwtops you simply twist,
- corks can be hard to get back into the bottle or you need to find another closure device; Screwtops screw right back on,
- corks rely on agricultural resources; screwtops are an industrial product.
The last point has caused some controversy–The World Wildlife Fund put together a PR release to protect certain animals that might lose their cork tree forest if demand for cork significantly changes because of new technology..but need I say more? Kind of ridiculous on so many fronts–sure I want to protect the natural habitat, but the cork industry is just that, a business, and there are other ways to get businesses and people to be socially responsible–don’t force them to accept a 1 in 20 defective rate to save birds!!
Whooops, almost forgot, I had lunch today at Agraria in Georgetown and purchased a relatively expensive Pinot Noir from Oregon (Maysara) and yes, you guessed it, it had a screwtop!
I’ll cover more on cork and screwtops in the near future, and I will also cover the plastic closure – seems many TasteDC’s wine class attendees like the idea of some kind of cork being presented when they sit down to eat in a restaurant, I guess the breaking of the metal and offering of a screwtop just doesn’t cut it for them; but what will they do when box wines become better and more popular?
Charlie “I Drink On the Job” Adler
Wine Basics – Getting Started Right
- TasteDC
Every year around 1,000 people in the DC area attend TasteDC’s Wine Basics 101 in order to get a solid understanding of wine. Over 11 years, 15,000 people have attended and I like to think that this has had a significant effect on Washington, D.C. both as a place to find many excellent wine stores and restaurants serving wine as well as a very wine educated public. Originally, this class was taught by local wine professionals, but I teach it now because it is so important for people to get the basic message/premise of drinking wine at TasteDC – it’s all about pleasure and fun, snobbery can stay at home!
I’ve found after teaching this class for the last 5 years that many people are confused about wine, in particular:
- Most people think that quality and price are directly related, but this isn’t true,
- Try to “describe” wine with accuracy when this is relatively unimportant and misleading at best,
- Spend too much on glassware and other accessories that don’t improve much the wine drinking experience,
This Thursday, November 13th is the next Wine Basics 101 class and my chance to cover the hot topics and important facts on wine. If you know very little about wine or are looking for a refresher class, give us a try at www.tastedc.com.
Charlie “I Drink On the Job” Adler
