As an addendum to the previous post, I wanted to share something interesting which happened over the weekend. A friend was kind enough to open a bottle of 1988 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant which she had brought to dinner. I inquired about the history of the bottle and was told by the owner that she had purchased it upon release from the winery tasting room (she is from Santa Cruz). She had been the bottle’s only owner, and it had been stored horizontally, in her cellar, and in the original wooden box for the duration. The bottle was even still wrapped in the original red packing tissue when she brought it out. As far as provenance goes, it is hard to establish a chain-of-custody which is much better than that. However, she admitted that it had been moved several times and had not always been stored in 100% ideal conditions. This included a couple of power-outages on warm days, and a few seismic temblors. Read the rest of this entry »
Bottle Conditions – Part 1(a)
31 12 2008Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: 1988, Bonny Doon, bottle, box, California, capsule, capsule condition, cellar, cork, cork condition, foil, label, label condition, oxidize, provenance, Santa Cruz, seepage, storage, ullage
Categories : Cellar Management, Storage Conditions
Bottle Conditions – Part 1
22 12 2008Although old wines may be re-corked, it is a total pain in the ass for a whole host of reasons. As a wine ages, even when stored in the best of conditions, the bottle ages along with it. With the exception of the visible markers of ullage (fill-level) and wine color, and because re-corking isn’t a common practice (during re-corking the wine may be sampled), it is often the bottle which can give the best idea of how the wine inside is doing. The usual markers which are used are – label condition, cork condition, and capsule condition. For wines which are to be re-sold, it is important for collectors to be aware of these issues and realize that they may adversely effect value and/or re-sale potential. The biggest concern for buyers is always provenance. Issues with bottle condition can bring provenance into question and raise legitimate concerns. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Beaumes de Venise, bottle shape, capsule, capsule condition, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, color, cork, cork condition, cork taint, corrode, corrosion, Cotes du Rhone, Gigondas, label, label condition, lead, rack, re-corking, seepage, storage, Syrah, TCA, Turley, ullage, Zin
Categories : Advice, Cellar Management, Storage Conditions
A Fun “Vintage” Label
22 12 2008This is the third time I’ve run into this bottle in three separate collections. It is (so I’m told) still drinking quite well, and the label is a total kick. Reminds me of the “vintage” posters and signs available in every NapaStyle-esq store and mass-market tasting room. Here is a rundown on how, as of 2007, a few of the other California wines in the 1970 vintage were reviewed.
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Tags: 1970, bottle, California, collections, vintage
Categories : Advice, Cellar Management, Third-Party Reviews
Aging Wine
22 12 2008NewScientist, via Gizmodo, has an interesting article on an advanced tactic to rapidly “age” cheap wine. I am intrigued but skeptical. The original article may be found here.
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Tags: articles
Categories : News
Tasting Event
22 12 2008Here I am pouring at the Donkey And Goat Open House on Saturday (thank you for the picture and cookies Thea!). I think I’m wearing about six layers at this point. Why do I enjoy working in giant glorified refrigerators all day? It reminds me of growing up.
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Tags: Tasting Events
Categories : Cellar Management, Tasting Events, Twitter
Book Reviews
19 12 2008Over the next few weeks, I will be providing reviews on the following books:
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Tags: cellar, Cellar Management
Categories : Cellar Management
Why The Corkscrew Was Invented
16 12 2008As featured in a recent post, here again is The Hensel Family Tutorial on how NOT to open a bottle of wine. (Yes, that goof is my little brother).
Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: bottle, Bottle Battles, cork, cork condition
Categories : Advice, video, Wine Shouldn't Be Scary
Get Thee A Laguiole
12 12 2008There always seems to be a lot of hoopla over the latest and greatest cork-extracting mechanisms. They sell based on whimsy, proported ease of use, and technical innovation. The problem is that they are also heavy and unwieldy, tether you to electricity, and can randomly cause your bottle to explode. Not only that, but shopping online for “the rabbit” turns up some interesting results, the electric ones look oddly like a Williams-Sonoma hand blender, and if you’re unlucky enough to poke yourself with a pump model and inject some CO2 into your body, well, let’s just say that life will not be fun. Truly, nothing beats the lowly ‘waiter’s friend’ style of corkscrew, aka – the sommelier’s knife. Although using one may require a touch of elbow grease, they are lightweight, easily fit in a pocket, and they generally have no unnecessary constructs or appendages other than the worm (corkscrew), foil knife, lever, and a bottle cap opener. Of the many options available, the best waiter’s friends (other than big tippers) are Laguioles.
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Tags: bottle, champagne, cork, corkscrew, foil, Forge de Laguiole, France, knife, Laguiole, port, sommelier
Categories : Equipment and Accoutrements
Do Mixed Lots Mean Mixed Blessings?
4 12 2008Off to work on a new cellar. Some interesting, and very old, Bordeaux (back to 1943) included in the lot of approximately 500 bottles. Not much capsule damage or cork protrusion, and preliminary ullage rates look surprisingly good. Provenance is a bit sketchy on the older bottles, as is current market demand for these items. Remember, old ≠ valuable.
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Tags: Bordeaux, capsule, Cellar Management, cork, provenance, ullage, value
Categories : Cellar Management
Tweet Tweet
4 12 2008Vin Collections is now on Twitter. Follow along on the cellar adventures – http://twitter.com/vincollections .
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Tags: tweet, Twitter
Categories : Twitter
