Man: First, it is customary to sniff the wine cork. Eno: Oh...of course. Man: Now rub your ears on the bottle. Eno: Dang! I never know if the sommelier is messing with me.
I bought a twenty-something dollar bottle of German wine the other day, got it home, and was astonished to discover it had a twist-off cap! Excellent wine though.
Corks are old technology as they tend to disintegrate over time. Good old fashioned twist caps, properly sealed, will not. Many french winemakers are finding that their most vintage (read “expensive”) wines have been ruined due to “cork malfunctions”.
Does anyone remember the Hiney Wine commercials? “The only wine in a flip-top box!” The commercials were a joke but became so popular that some wineries now make a wine by that name.
You do sniff the cork. It can be the first sign that a wine is “corked” and a musty smell is a good indicator of that. As for screw caps they do preserve the wine better than corks, but many wineries are switching back to corks as screw tops are not very biodegradable.
pschearer Premium Member over 15 years ago
I bought a twenty-something dollar bottle of German wine the other day, got it home, and was astonished to discover it had a twist-off cap! Excellent wine though.
Totalloser Premium Member over 15 years ago
Many New Zealand wines have screw tops. They have proved it stays just as fresh as a corked wine.
comicgos over 15 years ago
Shouldn’t Fang be doing the scratching, sniffing and rubbing?
cleokaya over 15 years ago
Just pour the stuff already.
nelson-muntz over 15 years ago
I BOUGHT A 49¢ BOTTLE OF WINE THE OTHER DAY GOT DRUNK, PASSED OUT SOMEONE STOLE MY SHOES.
Geekologist over 15 years ago
What comes next?
gigabyte03 over 15 years ago
nelson-muntz: Ah yes, Chateau Les Funk no doubt.
lazygrazer over 15 years ago
The best way to determine the suspended boutique of a wine is to grab the bottle and take a big swig.
dreaded over 15 years ago
Corks are old technology as they tend to disintegrate over time. Good old fashioned twist caps, properly sealed, will not. Many french winemakers are finding that their most vintage (read “expensive”) wines have been ruined due to “cork malfunctions”.
Khard12 over 15 years ago
Not to mention the difficulty (and hazard) of operating a sharp corkscrew while drunk!
Digital Frog over 15 years ago
Actually, you’re not supposed to sniff the cork, you’re supposed to check and see if it is wet. If not, it hasn’t been stored properly.
mrprongs over 15 years ago
He is.
m_ortal over 15 years ago
Does anyone remember the Hiney Wine commercials? “The only wine in a flip-top box!” The commercials were a joke but became so popular that some wineries now make a wine by that name.
cleokaya over 15 years ago
You do sniff the cork. It can be the first sign that a wine is “corked” and a musty smell is a good indicator of that. As for screw caps they do preserve the wine better than corks, but many wineries are switching back to corks as screw tops are not very biodegradable.