olivier in france Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 He Chef, was in Languedoc last month... not a big fan of their wines (Languedoc has always been the Home of the cheap "everyday" table wine) but i 've discovered a little appelation near Narbonne that is really interesting and not expensive. Lot better than the nearby Corbières or Minervois. Even better than the good Fitou. It's La Clape. Probably hard to find in the US (as it is even here) but if you see a bottle try it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 It's La Clape. Probably hard to find in the US (as it is even here) but if you see a bottle try it!! Do you need a dose of Le Penicillin after enjoying a bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Do you need a dose of Le Penicillin after enjoying a bottle? no ... and mixing an antibiotic with alcohol is not a great idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 (edited) no ... and mixing an antibiotic with alcohol is not a great idea! But Quaaludes....... Sorry but with all the other wine regions of the world I'm not buying anything from La Clape. Ok, ok seeing they cary it at my new home away from home I'll try it. If it's good Oliver can you get me a case at a better price? Oh and also seeing it's 55% Grenache I'm intrigued. Edited May 12, 2009 by Chef Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 Chef Jim has the Clap ???????????????????????/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 you're right. and a good compromise is the "plastic" cork they have now in many wineries... no risk of the cork damaging the wine and you still have the ceremonial! I don't know Oliver. I've heard the jury is still out on the plastic cork too. I can't imagine how that plastic flavor is kept out of the wines if you're storing for 10,20 or even 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Chef Jim has the Clap ???????????????????????/ Not yet, I just heard about it. Jeez give me a break. But I'll probably have it by the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 I don't know Oliver. I've heard the jury is still out on the plastic cork too. I can't imagine how that plastic flavor is kept out of the wines if you're storing for 10,20 or even 30 years. I would never never get a wine that I would keep for 30 years . I would be dead or they would have to give it to me in IV form . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I would never never get a wine that I would keep for 30 years . I would be dead or they would have to give it to me in IV form . I have a 1975 port that I'm saving for........hmmmm not sure what I'm saving it for. Maybe I'll chisten my new office with it. Try a 30 year old Bordeaux and you'll know why people wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 I have a 1975 port that I'm saving for........hmmmm not sure what I'm saving it for. Maybe I'll chisten my new office with it. Try a 30 year old Bordeaux and you'll know why people wait. I will do that and let you know what I think . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I don't know Oliver. I've heard the jury is still out on the plastic cork too. I can't imagine how that plastic flavor is kept out of the wines if you're storing for 10,20 or even 30 years. I agree, Chef. I hate screw tops, but can tolerate a plastic cork. However, both are for wines that you expect to drink reasonably soon, IMO. I'm talking a little out of my ass here, as I have seen no definitive studies on the topic, but I don't think a bottle of First Growth Bordeaux would age with a screw top (or plastic cork) the way it does with a natural cork seal. The best cork is the perfect seal for the best wine that requires bottle aging. Cork can fail, and great cork is scarce and expensive, or at least that's what they say. So, I understand the move to alternative seals for "everyday" wine. I enjoy the ritual of removing the cork from a bottle of wine, so I prefer an artificial cork to a screw top. And, even though I know plenty of good wine is now sealed with a screw top it's hard for me (and I am told others from my generation) to warm up to wine that is bottled the same way as Boone's Farm and Ripple was back in the day. I just had a couple of bottles of wine from a winery called The Other Guys (an offshoot of Sebastiani) that used a new artificial closure. It's a cross between a plastic cork and a screw top. It is called a Zork. It's actually pretty cool if you are out of reach of a corkscrew (which I rarely am). The winery also uses other artificial closures, one of the more interesting being the Vino-Seal. The wine was OK for the price, but nothing that you would want, or need, to lay down for any significant length of time. Here's some of the wine they are now making: http://donandsons.com/theotherguys/ And here are the closures: http://donandsons.com/closures/ I'm hoping the quality of their wine catches up to the creative closures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 That Zork looks interesting, even if the name is a ripoff of one of my favorite computer games of all time. I wondered about the requirements for the glass -- after all, that's what I do for a living -- but it appears to work on a standard cork-finish bottle. Further: looking at their spec sheet, there only appear to be two critical measurements. Should be an easy bottle to make. The supplier list is weird, though -- while Vitro makes containers, their US subsidiary doesn't. And we're not on there, even though we're the largest glass-container manufacturer in the world. Hmm. Maybe it's time to change that list. Thanks for the info, Dean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 That Zork looks interesting, even if the name is a ripoff of one of my favorite computer games of all time. I wondered about the requirements for the glass -- after all, that's what I do for a living -- but it appears to work on a standard cork-finish bottle. Infocom. The Zorks, Hitchhikers's Guide to The Galaxy, Bureaucracy, et al. My wife was a big, big fan. She used to use poster pads to pencil in maps and such to trace the games' twists and turns. We still have a lot of their DOS s/w, some yet to be used. About 10 years ago, I came across a collection - The Lost Treasures of Infocom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Infocom. The Zorks, Hitchhikers's Guide to The Galaxy, Bureaucracy, et al. My wife was a big, big fan. She used to use poster pads to pencil in maps and such to trace the games' twists and turns. We still have a lot of their DOS s/w, some yet to be used. About 10 years ago, I came across a collection - The Lost Treasures of Infocom. Got most of those for Commodore 64, along with the Lost Treasures package for Windows 3.whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Got most of those for Commodore 64, along with the Lost Treasures package for Windows 3.whatever. C64. That was a fine computer. I was a complete dud with the Infocom stuff. Wife was a determined ace. Did you ever read the late Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker books? What a scream. The movie of a few years ago was strictly for the readers of same. Marvin...and the praying mantis that scoured the Universe forever to personally insult each and every inhabitant....the Crikkets... What an imagination that man had! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Wow, went from talking about wine in a box to a C64. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I agree, Chef. I hate screw tops, but can tolerate a plastic cork. However, both are for wines that you expect to drink reasonably soon, IMO. I'm talking a little out of my ass here, as I have seen no definitive studies on the topic, but I don't think a bottle of First Growth Bordeaux would age with a screw top (or plastic cork) the way it does with a natural cork seal. The best cork is the perfect seal for the best wine that requires bottle aging. Cork can fail, and great cork is scarce and expensive, or at least that's what they say. So, I understand the move to alternative seals for "everyday" wine. I enjoy the ritual of removing the cork from a bottle of wine, so I prefer an artificial cork to a screw top. And, even though I know plenty of good wine is now sealed with a screw top it's hard for me (and I am told others from my generation) to warm up to wine that is bottled the same way as Boone's Farm and Ripple was back in the day. I just had a couple of bottles of wine from a winery called The Other Guys (an offshoot of Sebastiani) that used a new artificial closure. It's a cross between a plastic cork and a screw top. It is called a Zork. It's actually pretty cool if you are out of reach of a corkscrew (which I rarely am). The winery also uses other artificial closures, one of the more interesting being the Vino-Seal. The wine was OK for the price, but nothing that you would want, or need, to lay down for any significant length of time. Here's some of the wine they are now making: http://donandsons.com/theotherguys/ And here are the closures: http://donandsons.com/closures/ I'm hoping the quality of their wine catches up to the creative closures. Watched a program on the food network recently about wine and some of the "top experts" were really praising the screw cap and pretty much said the same thing as this website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Watched a program on the food network recently about wine and some of the "top experts" were really praising the screw cap and pretty much said the same thing as this website I'll believe screw caps are superior to the best cork when the best Bordeaux wine is bottled that way, and garners higher ratings 30-50 years down the road, than when it was initially released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I'll believe screw caps are superior to the best cork when the best Bordeaux wine is bottled that way, and garners higher ratings 30-50 years down the road, than when it was initially released. Sure, but how many bottles of 50 year old Bordeaux do you drink? They were able to taste the difference in a 3 year old bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 From another offshoot of Sebastiani, Three Loose Screws, comes this wine I really want to try, soon: Used Automobile Parts Here's some praise for this wine: http://corkd.com/wine/view/62031-Used_Auto..._Red_Table_Wine Used Automobile Parts uses the Vino-Seal closure, which has a glass stopper. http://www.luxist.com/2006/05/13/the-vino-...ure-now-in-use/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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