The Portuguese cork industry can really target a market. Everyday on NPR I hear the moaning of the “voice” of cork trying to lay a crown of cork thorns on the head of the wine drinker in America. Apparently we must buy wines sealed only with natural corks or we are responsible for climate change, the loss of endangered animal habitat and the demise of ancient cork oaks. It’s all up to us. Not!

Here is what I’ll give’em; when corks are perfect, they are perfect. The problem is; they are often not perfect. I’m a wine industry professional not the typical wine consumer with many more important things on their mind than wine closures. I know enough about wine closures to not be swayed by the guilt-trip bits of pseudo-info that “Big Cork” is placing on the back of the consumer with regard corks and wine.

Corks oaks sequester carbon; no doubt, I’m sure they do. What doesn’t is the immense cost of first shipping Portuguese corks to wineries all over the world and then off to the worlds markets only to have the wine go bad due to cork failure. Now we’re just at the beginning of the waste; the wine gets transported to importers, distributors, retailers or restaurants and finally to you. Lots of movement there; now you pull the cork and due to the imperfect nature of corks; the wine may be bad. Back to the store to return the bad bottle which gets sent back to the distributor and so on. That’s a lot of transportation energy wasted due to a bad cork. I’ve read industry stats that show that 2% to 5% of natural corks fail. How much fuel is spent moving that volume of fundamentally useless product?

The answers? Plastic corks; nope they’re worse at every turn. Glass closures; not very practical or cost effective on inexpensive wines. Screw caps, much better but not perfect. There is no final answer at this point, just a need to find something better. In the mean time Portugal might consider upgrading the quality of cork closures and possibly banning the sale of inferior quality cork products that are prone to failure; therefore waste. Giving the world better corks can help solve the problem. Wine producers are not without fault in the argument in this debate, if the wine is meant for early consumption; don’t waste a cork. The consumer bears a bit of blame, while the knuckle draggers wax poetically about the traditions of the corks, money and wine is wasted. Evolve a bit.

In the process of exploring and creating a better closure; using guilt to shore up a troubled Portuguese cork industry is not the answer.

I’ve been beating this same drum for years, and I guess I’ll be beating it forever, Good thing I like drumming. Last week the New York Times wine writer reviewed a few Oregon Pinot Noirs. The wines that were reviewed are irrelevant to my point, it could have been any wine from any region; the reaction is the same every time. The phone lit up; people were calling wine shops, distributors; and everyone else in between in order to score some of these apparently must-have wines.

Did it ever occur to these searchers that the wines were already on store shelves and wine lists because the buyers for these establishments had already noticed their worth? Every successful stock market investor knows that by the time you read about something in the press, its old news and the smart people have already taken advantage of the opportunity.

I knew about these wonderful wines well before Mr. Asimov of the Times and I’m perfectly able to call a winner before it gets “Parkerized” for your protection. Where do you think these writers get their tips on wines anyway? Many of the top writers rely on their friends in retail, distribution and restaurants to give them the heads-up when something exciting shows up on the scene.

If you are still cruising the “wine department” at grocery and club stores you might have good reason to utilize the media wine guys, as you’re sure to receive little professional guidance. With the plethora of wine specialty shops in America there is an alternative.

Instead of listening to the advice of someone you’ll never meet (Robert Parker, Eric Asimov, Stephen Tanzer et al) why not rely on the professional advice of someone that you can know and with whom you can develop a relationship and start getting the hot tips before they’re old news?

P.S. Choir members please ignore this notice.

Thursday January 20th

Class time- 7:00 to 9:00

Learn

• What is wine? How is it made?
• How to taste (we will taste six wines)
• Understanding your own palate
• Understanding Wine Labels
• Buying the right wine
• Understanding “scores” and wine reviews
• Ordering wine in restaurants
• Serving wine at home

Join us for a two hour, in store Wine Essentials class and learn the basics.

We will give you the foundation on which to build an enjoyable pastime that will bring you pleasure forever. Learn a bit about your palate, define your preferences and know why you like what you like! A little knowledge will save you lots of money by taking the luck factor out of ordering wine for home use or in a restaurant. You will also learn about proper glassware and how to avoid wasting money on “wine junk”.

This class will be taught by Wine Educator

Steven D Brown C.S.W

Cost – $20.00 per person

Pre-payment Required

Reserve at 206.329.2399

12^th & Olive Wine Company

1125 East Olive Street at 12^th Avenue

Seattle WA 98122

Riedel, Nachtmann and Spiegelau filed suit in Munich, Germany alleging that Eisch’s advertisement boasting ‘breathable glass’ constituted false advertising.

On 19 January the two parties agreed to settle after Eisch’s claim that its ‘breathable’ glasses were made using a secret process that ‘opens bouquet and aromas within 2 to 4 minutes’ was not supported in court.

According to Dr Jo Dresel, the court found that, ‘as regards the physical characteristics of the glass composition and of the glass surface, the wine glasses with the designation “Breathable Glass” do not differ in any respect whatsoever from structurally identical wine glasses produced by the same manufacturer.’

It was also found that the wine in both types of glasses did not differ, ‘neither in a food chemistry analysis nor in a gustation (tasting) test carried out by experienced wine tasters.’

A spokesperson for Eisch said, ‘To remove this nuisance from our business path, we have agreed to change the terminology we use to describe the benefits provided by our glasses, which we have renamed Sensis-plus. In the legal and technical milieu of the German Courts, we cannot prove that this glass does, in technical fact, breathe.’”

P.S I rejected these glasses when they were first shown to me last year. Others stores may have been fooled or don’t mind taking your money for whiz-bang gadgetry: not my bag.

BTW I’m no big fan of Riedel either.

While we’re at it!

I’m seeing these contraptions everywhere! Vinturi and other such wine aerating gadgets are merely just that – gadgets. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, I’m saying its unnecessary. Swirling your wineglass does the same thing and costs nothing. If you need to use a device, try blowing bubbles in your wine with a straw; it accomplishes the same thing (really) and you can get one free at McDonald’s.

The fact is, there are no magic bullets that will replace knowledge and palate awareness. Learning how to define your individual tastes and  educating yourself bit about wine will not only save money but will guarantee the predictable outcome that you seek; pleasure!

But what do I know? I’m only a wine professional with decades of experience, education and certification behind me.