Closure on Closures

On my recent trip to buy wine for a large party I am having I found myself with a cart full of almost every type of bottle closure available. The only exception was that I didn't have a plastic with cage closure on the sparkling wine. That is most likely where I tend to be a snob on the matter. I have yet to have a sparkling wine I would serve to friends that had a plastic closure.

So here is how I rate the different closures and why. First, the screw-cap or Stelvin closure is great for picnics or other occasions where you don't want to carry additional weight, although the wine in a box or bag cuts down on that as well. Of late there are more tolerable to nice wines available in the box option. Also the screw-cap is good for gatherings where you have lots of people and not too many who are proficient with a corkscrew. I have no problem with these closures for wines that will be consumed within days of purchase or months. I don't like the idea of screw-caps for wines I want to age in the cellar. There is no conclusion I have seen that indicates the caps can allow for gradual maturing of wine.

Next, synthetic or composite corks are fairly prevalent as well. They are less expensive and effective to prevent spoilage, but..... they tend to be more difficult to remove than other closures and also very often difficult to replace in the bottle when a wine is not finished in one sitting.

Lastly is the traditional cork until recent shortages the understood champion of wine closures. With wine production booming and consumption up in the New World, the demand for quality cork surpassed the supply. Through the 90's corks got shorter and had a higher tendency to have the infection that causes wine to be "corked". Many say a wine is corked if it's spoiled in any way, but that's not correct. A wine is "corked" if it has a wet cardboard arroma and the fruit starts to diminish as the bottle has been open over time. It has nothing to do with the cork leaking which causes oxidation. It does not have to do with the wine getting hot somewhere, thus baking the wine. The other closures remove cork failure issues, but do not solve to abuse of the wine with heat. Simply put, you can't un-bake something.

Wine when too cold to ride...

OK, it really is not too cold to ride in these parts. In fact with the right gear most folks can ride into the teens temperature wise. I can even ride in temps that cold. However, I am starting the blog with some wine tips. Moreover I want to get it said early and often that I am a wine-geek and not a wine-snob. Wine is like art and food and all the things that make us different. The wine you like the most is the best wine. I feel the same way about bikes. I enjoy different rides and grapes on different occasions for different reasons. That said, I can sleep better. I want it said also that I am not anti other beverages of modes of transportation because I am pro these. Wow am I am I qualifier without saying much.

Here is the tip of the post - Riesling! Yep! Riesling. I am giving away real secrets of the pharaohs here. There are two tips here for the savvy reader. So lets start with the grape, Riesling. If you are so curious to know more or the origin of the grape go elsewhere to learn the extra geeky stuff. Right now I am trying to appeal to as many folks as I can. So... basic grape concepts: grapes grown in warmer climates develop higher sugars and lower acids. Rieslings grown in California and Australia will have lower acid and higher sugars than those grown in Germany, Austria, and the Alsace region of France. So the grapes start with different contents based on where they are grown. The winemakers start with different ingredients even though they are using the same grapes. Beer makers, zymugists get this with grain strains and what not, but many wine geeks don't. The next step is what process the grapes are put through. Does the vintner ferment the fruit to dry or leave more sugar because the avid is there and can handle it. Balance is the even mix of acid, fruit, tannins from oak, aging with yeast, and so much more.

If you want a simple Riesling with more full sweetness of fruit, get early warm climate Rieslings from Cali and Australia. They are good with spicy food, Thai and Indian. Also German Spatlese would be a sweeter or riper German Riesling.

If you want a medium complex Riesling, look to Oregon, German Kabinett and maybe New Zealand.

I will digress here to give an insight into German Riesling. They give you a key to sweetness levels. Their wine laws say ripeness is to be labeled. Kabinett is not so ripe.
Experiment with this grape with origin and age and ripeness levels. Let me know your findings. And questions I guess as I either know something to help or will point you in the right direction.

Cheers!

WELCOME!

Welcome!

It's my medium-firm belief that blogs that are worth reading or even writing should serve a purpose. While most of them are some cathartic rant for the author others are exegetic and informative about something useful. I'd like to manage to do that here. I hope the title will give you some idea of the usual content, bicycles and wine not necessarily in that order.

Cheers and Keep the rubber on the road!