Is wine in anything other than bottles a sin?

[meluvwine]

I get weekly emails from joos and this week they have a 1 lt shiraz and chard in a tetra pack. I have tried these recently and they were actually surprising good.

They are well priced (1lt for $6.66) so I have ordered a shiraz. I know wine in these packs is probably frowned upon but if the wine is the same as in their bottles then I reckon its a goer.

[Craig(NZ)]

personally i only cellar 3L casks. I find them easier to stack and there is more to get drunk on

[hmmm]

personally i only cellar 3L casks. I find them easier to stack and there is more to get drunk on

ahhh you do too?!! wow i thought i was the only one out there, how convenient is the stacking, and the cheaper prices in bulk buy are great too!

hahaha but speaking of bulk buy, why are magnum prices always more than double that of your standard bottle size, shouldnt they be less per volume... typical example: 1997 grange 750ml: $400 1500ml: $1100

[Waiters Friend]

[quote="hmmm speaking of bulk buy, why are magnum prices always more than double that of your standard bottle size, shouldnt they be less per volume... typical example: 1997 grange 750ml: $400 1500ml: $1100[/quote]

I used to wonder this, too, especially as I find far less opportunities to open magnums. However, the simple answer is probably 'rarity' - there are far less magnums made than 750ml bottles, so they are rarer, and therefore worth more.

However, at the lower end of the market, sometimes if you but 6 or 12 normal bottles, the retailer will throw in a magnum as well, and I'm sure some companies bottle magnums for promotional purposes such as this.

The theory also is that wine stored in magnum (or larger format) will mature more slowly. However, the converse is that screwcapping machines are yet to take the larger bottles, as far as I know, and therefore you're going to have a cork in it (which could be subject to cork taint) even if the standard bottles are sold under screwcap.

Cheers

Allan

[Bick]

However, the converse is that screwcapping machines are yet to take the larger bottles, as far as I know, and therefore you're going to have a cork in it (which could be subject to cork taint) even if the standard bottles are sold under screwcap.

You can screwcap magnums. I've never given it much thought but I don't think its that uncommon; e.g. Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz comes under screwcap in magnum. So the technology's there, though it may not be especially common practice.

[Craig(NZ)]

yeah but you cant smuggle a glass magnum into a cricket game concealed in a deck chair cushion can you? slip it out of the box and sew the bladder into the cushion

this is why the cask is brilliant. im not sure how much a grange cask is but im sure its less than twice a 750ml bottle!!

just remember when stacking casks in the cellar to use the brick wall pattern for strength and durability against earthquakes

[hmmm]

cask 4 life! i've always wondered about different ways to stack the sack, i personally prefer the old top and tail technique, but i might have to try the bricking method as it sounds like it has some solid merit behind it.

on another note, do you know the drinking window for the penfolds grange cask, or how long you'd recommend it be cellared for? and do you know where i can pick up the value pack bonus saver 5L cask with 25% extra free??? a real bargain i'd say!

[Craig(NZ)]

on another note, do you know the drinking window for the penfolds grange cask, or how long you'd recommend it be cellared for?

dude, you have more willpower than I do. My casks of top quality red hardly last much longer than the home brand cola i mix it with.

Also a tip: ensure you serve it in plastic stemware...i prefer the ones with different coloured dots on the side.....they ensure you dont get your glass mixed up with nana's

[dave vino]

How's the secondary market for the casks? do you find yourself flicking them off to auction as your tastes change? As you move from Fruity Lexia to a dryer Moselle as your palate matures.

I got into a silly bidding war over a birth year Tropicana, and paid way over the reserve.

[Bick]

Jeez, you're a bunch of sarcy buggers aren't you

[Scanlon]

[DJ]

personally i only cellar 3L casks. I find them easier to stack and there is more to get drunk on

It is not that funny when some dork rings the wine company to complain that the casks they have cellared have gone off
Had a couple of those in my years at Hardy's.

The more smart arse answer is: Oak barrels and stainless steel tanks are pretty good for wine but difficult to deliver and a hell of a lot of one sort of wine. Before the barrel was invented pottery amphoras had a couple of thousand year run

Back to the real question: PET bottles, tetra packs and casks have a shorter shelf life as they are not as good at keeping oxygen out as glass. You can put good wine in them but they are likely to oxidise before they mature so they are really only for drinking young propositions. There is an argument going round that some of these newer packaging techniques have enviromental advantages over glass as they use less energy to manufacture and transport (being lighter). no good for sparkling or beer as they can't hold enough pressure.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Having only recently started cellaring casks I was wondering how I would decant a cask wine. I guess the sediment would come out first?

Mahmoud.

[Bick]

Having only recently started cellaring casks I was wondering how I would decant a cask wine. I guess the sediment would come out first? Mahmoud.

I'd double decant it - back into the bag it goes after you've tapped it off into the Riedel decanter and let it settle. That way your guests can see what they're drinking with their braised hare, dauphinoise potatoes and truffles.

[Wizz]

You should be cellaring casks on their side so the sediment doesn't run out first.

Also you should be careful when pulling the plastic spout through the bag so you don't stir the sediment back up again.