Irregular Update
Sydney Time
Copyright © Ric Einstein 2008
Welcome to this weeks Irregular Update. The last one was called the "Nightmare Edition" because of the issues I had been experiencing with my Web Host Provider. The situation did not improve in a hurry. It took total of eighteen days until TORBWine was back to normal and I could make changes to it again. Should you have your own website, and especially if you are thinking about getting one, it will be worth reading "The Good The Bad and The Downright Ugly" sides of web hosting.
Speaking of nightmares, that's the perfect introduction to this weeks story. Sometimes I feel like I can't win and that has nothing to do with web site hosting disasters. I recently tried to make an appointment with a winemaker to review his wines. He also works in a responsible position for a major producer, and whilst he was quite happy to let me taste his wines, he didn't want to be interviewed. His personal position on corks is that he hates them but he didn't want any potential conflict with his employers position. Fair enough I hear you say, but what really got to me was that the guy was convinced I was pro cork. Wow! If you ask the likes of Robert O'Callaghan (Rockford) or Ed Carr (Sparkling Winemaker Hardy's) they will tell you they think I am a rabid, anti cork proponent. The reality is that I don't think any one seal is a perfect solution for all wines. Some will present better under cork, but cork has very real reliability issues. Even the most oneeyed cork lover will admit cork can have problems, the only question is how big is the problem.
There are all sorts of claims and counter claims about the reliability, or otherwise, of corks and the failure rate. Since June 2001 I have been keeping track of all bottles opened that have come from my cellar or have been sent to me as samples. Over 3,000 bottles have now been recorded and the results analysed. If you believe the cork industry, the failure rate of natural corks should be decreasing but as my numbers clearly show, opening a bottle of wine sealed with a cork is still a risk, and a damn big one at that! The numbers contained in this article are nightmare material; when Brian edited the article he said "that's truly Scary Stuff."
There was a lot of debate raised by the last article, Be Careful What You Wish For. Some respondents thought I had nailed the story and was dead right, whilst others thought I was dead wrong and presented "straw man" arguments. But one thing is for certain, the debate over lowering alcohol in wine will not only continue, it will hot up. During my recent trip to Victoria, it is apparent that many wineries are endeavouring to make more restrained, elegant and food friendly wines. The end result of this push will result in lower alcohol wines, but sensibly, that is not the raison d’ être for the changes. It is the realisation that the ripeness pendulum had swung too far in the other direction. If you have not read the story and the feedback, its worth a look.
The story on the Dom Perignon Scam has turned out to be very useful. I have had a number of emails thanking me for the information as it has saved the sender being taken for a ride. However these guys change identity on a regular basis, so if you get scamming emails with either new cons or new names, please let me know so I can update the story.
There will be no Update next week as I try to get a head start of the 2008 Victorian Diaries. The first Chapter should be up in two weeks.
A number of new Tasting Notes have been added. They can be found here.
The News section has been a little quiet over the past couple of weeks. Stories of possible interest are:
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Foster's profit growth slows on weak U.S. wine sales
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Last of the £2.99 wine
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Australian exports decline
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Australian exports decline
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Australian exports decline
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NZ premium wine sales soar in UK
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Bordeaux pricing 'immoral'
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Aussie wine prices get some legs
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Aussie wine prices get some legs
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Official: successful people drink more wine
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Foster's profit growth slows on weak U.S. wine sales
Those stories and more can be found here.
This weeks quote. “Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and
it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into
something you'd like to have dinner with." - Kathleen Mifsud
Until next time .... Cheers!
Ric
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