With respect to you all -- I have stumbled into this group with a
question I'm sure you've all debated many times, so pls forgive
redundancy.

We're talking here about everyday table wines, not special event or
special meal wines. In England we've had some budget-priced
better-than-OK Bordeaux and Chablis (from Tesco, yet) but they all
seem to have screw-tops these days. What is the feeling among wine
appreciators for Bordeaux especially in screw-tops? If price is an
important limitation?

Related question: 3-litre boxes seem much more popular here than in
the US. Do any UK posters on this list deign to drink any boxed wines
and are there any particular recommendations in the bordeaux/claret or
sauvignon blanc types?

Thanks in advance, and again sorry for butting in
Cranky

On 30 Nov 2003 01:51:27 -0800, (Judy) said:

] With respect to you all -- I have stumbled into this group with a
] question I'm sure you've all debated many times, so pls forgive
] redundancy.
]

Hi Judy (or Cranky),

Your politeness is commendable!

] We're talking here about everyday table wines, not special event or
] special meal wines. In England we've had some budget-priced
] better-than-OK Bordeaux and Chablis (from Tesco, yet) but they all
] seem to have screw-tops these days. What is the feeling among wine
] appreciators for Bordeaux especially in screw-tops? If price is an
] important limitation?
]

Nothing wrong with a screw top. On the contrary, the contents are
less likely to be contaminated then with a cork closure. The jury is
out on screw top for long term aging as far as I am concerned, although
others here will disagree.

If the wine is good and the price is right, seems to me you're in good
shape. Don't sweat the closure. Incidentally, many top US and
antipodean wines are starting to appear with stelvin tops. This doesn't
seem to be catching on in France, mostly because of consumer
resistance AFAICT. I wonder if your Tesco wines are special Tesco
bottlings, or at least for export only...

] Related question: 3-litre boxes seem much more popular here than in
] the US. Do any UK posters on this list deign to drink any boxed wines
] and are there any particular recommendations in the bordeaux/claret or
] sauvignon blanc types?
]

BiB (Bag in Box) is very popular in France and there is a large selection
of low to medium priced wine available in this format. I imagine that much
of this is available in the UK, too. It is in fact an excellent was to preserve
wine over several weeks, not to mention being economical.

In the US there is not much available in this format, and what there is
seems to be largely contaminated with various other fruit juices. So
US readers tend to frown on BiB.

I can't help with specifics available at Tesco etc, but perhaps a UK
correspondant will chime in.

] Thanks in advance, and again sorry for butting in
] Cranky

Please don't mention it!

-E

---
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

(Judy) wrote:

> What is the feeling among wine appreciators for Bordeaux
> especially in screw-tops?

Let me have my crus classés with screw-tops *now*!

> If price is an important limitation?

I'd even pay a premium for screwcaps.

And I'm bloody serious.

M.

Salut/Hi Judy,

le/on 30 Nov 2003 01:51:27 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

>With respect to you all -- I have stumbled into this group with a
>question I'm sure you've all debated many times, so pls forgive
>redundancy.

First of all, as a long term regular here "Welcome" Secondly, when you
suspect that a subject might have been debated before in a newsgroup,
"Google Groups" is your friend.... you can put "screwcaps" as the search
subject and then sit back as hundreds of references appear!

However, no forgiveness need be requested we're here to talk about wine and
wine related subjects!

>We're talking here about everyday table wines,
[snip]
>What is the feeling among wine appreciators for Bordeaux especially in screw-tops?

This IS a long and complex subject. VERY briefly, the number of corked
bottles (bottles whose contents have been spoilt by contamination with a
chemical abbreviated to TCA) has risen in recent years to unacceptably high
levels. SOMETHING had to be done to reduce this (whose exact cause is still
- to the eternal shame of the cork industry - not exactly known)
catastrophe, for that's what it is when up to 5 or 10 percent of bottles are
not showing as they should be.

One possible solution is to bottle wines not designed for the top end and
for long term storage under Stelvin (screwcaps) which have been shown
conclusively to have no ill effects on the wine stored in them. Some
theories of TCA production suggest that the reduction in demand for cork
will then allow the cork makers to reduce the levels of TCA contamination to
such a low level as to remove it as a potential problem. Corks can then
continue to be used for top end and traditionalist markets without ill
effect.

However research carried out by many producers seems to be leading to the
conclusion that wines designed to be aged many years do so under Stelvin
just as well as under cork. If this is the case, then there would be no
justification to continue to use cork - except for traditionalists who
resist screwtops for primarily aesthetic reasons.

In any case, you need have no concerns about buying your Bordeaux and
Chablis under screwcaps (avoid plastic corks, on the other hand, which can
give a slight plastic taint). In some respects it can be more convenient,
you don't need to lie them down so there's less worry about stirring up
deposits of you have aged the wine a bit. There need be no implication about
drinking quickly, given that wines DO age well under Stelvin.

>Related question: 3-litre boxes seem much more popular here than in
>the US. Do any UK posters on this list deign to drink any boxed wines
>and are there any particular recommendations in the bordeaux/claret or
>sauvignon blanc types?

I don't live in the UK but in France, where the acceptance of bag in boxes
is also very slow (NIH syndrome). Here, bags in boxes are so designed as not
to be refillable, which is a bit of a shame. Anyway, the problem with them
is twofold. Firstly, BIBs only keep wine reliably 6 months or so so there's
no chance whatsoever of buying a wine with any age. Secondly, (half related)
the quality of the wines put into BIB is often very low. It's a case of
GIGO, if you put in rubbish, that's what you get out.

THe above notwithstanding, the convenience of the system is such that some
more forward thinking winegrowers are now putting their "consommation
courante" wines into BIB (sometimes only to order, which is loony) and some
of them are making perfectly decent wines available in this way. I run a B&B
and while I don't pretend that the wines I serve for a ‚¬15 meal are classed
growth clarets - far from it - I do like to think they're an order better
than most that are served by my colleagues. Both my standard red and white
are bought in BIB and both are well received by my guests and are good
enough for me (I'm fussy) to drink with pleasure.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare

Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
Sometimes oi just sits.

I've never bought box wine before but I happened to see a 3 ltr box of
Jean Marc Brocard Chablis at Corti Bros. market in Sacramento CA, looked
like good QPR but I don't like Chard. If we in the boondocks have it,
perhaps you could find it.