Oh no! It's a Screw-Top!

"Take it back ... this wine is corked!" Eh? What?

We've all seen the movie lines - as well as "Corked", the 2009 comedic documentary of the wine industry. But have you ever sampled a wine that you've carefully chosen to impress either yourself or dinner date? The (perfect) wine arrives with a flourish; a sample is poured by a waiter in black and white, with a towel wrapped around his arm; you hold it up to a white light (cuz that's what 'they' do in the movies); you swirl it around a bit (not sure why, but it looks good); you take a sip as you glance at your date, hoping s/he is appropriately impressed; and you suddenly feel as though you've just licked the floor of a musty cellar or, worse, taken a sip from the vinegar bottle!

Did you keep it because you think trashing a $75 bottle of wine is a crime? Did you make appropriate appreciative noises and say, "This will be lovely with a good strong meal; let's have the bear steaks soaked in armadillo sauce with it"? Or, did you do the right thing and send it back ... because it was corked!?

'Cork' happens! In fact it happens to at least 5% of bottled wines. Why? Two reasons: one, because cork, my friend, is porous. It leaks oxygen into the wine, which changes its chemistry, and therefore its balance and flavor; and, two, cork contains a mold that leaks into the wine, changing or flattening its taste. Politely send it back and ask for another bottle. If the restaurant quibbles with you, remember this, and tell all your friends.

Because we are members of a society that demands instant gratification, and therefore want to drink our wines now, vintners are offering more and more wine, sealed with alternative methods. The traditional rule that screw-tops are for jug wines is just no longer correct. Be not afraid to buy these wines - I wasn't, and subsequently discovered a beautiful 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Now, granted, I'm not typically a drinker of white wines - and I DID buy this one to pour into the sauce for a yummy Lasagna Bolognese (found at Epicurious.com). Still, cooking with bad wine makes bad food, so I chose this bottle carefully. I was not disappointed! The wine is fresh, fruit forward, layered with flavors of citrus and pineapples, but reserves just a hint of butter and pepper spice on the back of the tongue. It was perfect for the sauce.

It was even more perfect somewhat chilled in a glass, while the sauce was simmering! And it was a screw-top!!