Screwcaps and Grange

The place on the web to chat about wine, Australian wines, or any other wines for that matter
Post Reply
User avatar
Finney
Posts: 126
Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 9:00 pm
Location: 80 Kms SSW of Sydney

Screwcaps and Grange

Post by Finney »

Not that I can afford to drink Grange, but I heard that from the 2004 vintage all Grange will be under screwcap.

Anyone else heard similar?

Cheers

Finney (Craig)

GraemeG
Posts: 1737
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Post by GraemeG »

How come Penfolds bottle RWT under screwcap, but not 707 or Magill? 04 Bins 28 and 128 (and 138 too - at least the 04) seem to have run down the bottling line with both closures, Rawson's is under cork, Hyland under screwcap, 407/389 still exclusively under cork. Wonder what'll happen with 04 St Henri?
Maybe it's like the early history of Grange, which was bottled in all sorts of strange bottles, with varying capsules...
Graeme

John #11
Posts: 483
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:57 am
Location: Adelaide

Post by John #11 »

I have seen Rawson's Cab Shiraz (2006) under Stelvin, but the Rawson's pure Cabernet (2006) is still under cork? I think Penfolds can't make up its mind?

Murray
Posts: 266
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 7:27 am
Location: Geelong, Victoria
Contact:

Re: Screwcaps and Grange

Post by Murray »

Finney wrote:Not that I can afford to drink Grange, but I heard that from the 2004 vintage all Grange will be under screwcap.

Anyone else heard similar?

Cheers

Finney (Craig)

I hadn't heard Grange, but had heard the Hill Of Grace is headed that way.
Murray Almond

707
Posts: 1173
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:24 pm
Location: Adelaide, centre of the wine universe

Re: Screwcaps and Grange

Post by 707 »

Murray wrote: I hadn't heard Grange, but had heard the Hill Of Grace is headed that way.


I believe Henschke are going glass stoppers at the premium end, adds about $1 bottle to costs.
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!

Anonymous

Post by Anonymous »

I had the luck to be invited at the Pendfolds masterclass, two weeks ago in Sydney, presented by Peter Gago.
The question have been asked to him and the answer is… NO! There are no plan to have Grange under screwcup for cultural reason, this wine as a long history and Gago don't think that you can do a so big change like that on Grange. Even to do a little change on the label seem to be a big deal for the collectors.
Regarding RWT, it doesn't have a so long history so no problem for pass it to screwcup.
Same things for the others, St Henri and 707 will stay with cork. Not sure for Magill…
Here you go! That was my first post (just discover this site today). Sorry for my english full of mistakes, I'm a frog lost down under… But I don't miss my wines as I find so great staffs here!!!

707
Posts: 1173
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:24 pm
Location: Adelaide, centre of the wine universe

Post by 707 »

Welcome to the forum. I hope you get as much useful information and amusement out of it as we do.

Keep on posting!
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!

Adam

Post by Adam »

Pécharmant wrote:I had the luck to be invited at the Pendfolds masterclass, two weeks ago in Sydney, presented by Peter Gago.
The question have been asked to him and the answer is… NO! There are no plan to have Grange under screwcup for cultural reason, this wine as a long history and Gago don't think that you can do a so big change like that on Grange. Even to do a little change on the label seem to be a big deal for the collectors.
Regarding RWT, it doesn't have a so long history so no problem for pass it to screwcup.
Same things for the others, St Henri and 707 will stay with cork. Not sure for Magill…
Here you go! That was my first post (just discover this site today). Sorry for my english full of mistakes, I'm a frog lost down under… But I don't miss my wines as I find so great staffs here!!!
Not that I am big fan of tincaps...but its a shame that they are pandering to collectors rather than offering the CHOICE to drinkers...

GraemeG
Posts: 1737
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:53 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Post by GraemeG »

Pécharmant wrote:I had the luck to be invited at the Pendfolds masterclass, two weeks ago in Sydney, presented by Peter Gago.
The question have been asked to him and the answer is… NO! There are no plan to have Grange under screwcup for cultural reason, this wine as a long history and Gago don't think that you can do a so big change like that on Grange. Even to do a little change on the label seem to be a big deal for the collectors.
Regarding RWT, it doesn't have a so long history so no problem for pass it to screwcup.
Same things for the others, St Henri and 707 will stay with cork. Not sure for Magill…
Here you go! That was my first post (just discover this site today). Sorry for my english full of mistakes, I'm a frog lost down under… But I don't miss my wines as I find so great staffs here!!!


Interesting, and yet disappointing information. Bin 28s history is just as long as 707, yet they're happy to put a screwcap on that. To reject the improvement available because of adherence to a misguided 'tradition' seems short-sighted, to say the least. Not to mention what it says about their opinion of their customers for these particular wines. 'Big $ = ignorant shmucks who pay for label prestige and need to impress others who associate screwcaps with cheap wines' - has nothing changed in the last 7 years?

Bet Gago changes his tune inside five years.

Graeme

aj_syrah
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 4:33 am
Location: Melbourne

Post by aj_syrah »

IMHO,

People that buy grange, and know a lot about wine, will want screwcap (or glass stoppers). And people that know nothing about wine - will they really care what it's closed in? But I think there is a more significant point, and that is - grange wasn't initially accepted by the wine community, it made it's name by Schubert adhering to what he believed in, despite popular opinion. Grange should be the trendsetter, not subservient to the 'popular belief'.

In a time where the popular belief of penfolds is that people won't accept anything other than cork, I think a disparity exists. I think everyone would agree that the trend (amongst sophisticated wine drinkers) is towards non cork stoppers, and grange would be able to reinforce popular opinion beyond any other brand's ability.

Screwcap's/non-cork-stoppers would, if accepted by Grange, no longer limit the public view as non-cork being a closure for whites. Grange's greatness is partly a factor of it's history, and they are missing an opportunity to create history. The trend is towards non-cork stoppers, and the sooner grange accepts this the better. Otherwise they will be seen as a luddite, and they will suffer for it.

Andrew

User avatar
Red Bigot
Posts: 2824
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Canberra
Contact:

Post by Red Bigot »

Interesting that the 2004 John Riddoch/Michael I saw were under stelvin, yet the 2005 Black Label is under cork.
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)

User avatar
Danny
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:48 pm

Re: Screwcaps and Grange

Post by Danny »

707 wrote:
Murray wrote: I hadn't heard Grange, but had heard the Hill Of Grace is headed that way.


I believe Henschke are going glass stoppers at the premium end, adds about $1 bottle to costs.


This is the closure you're thinking of.
http://www.vino-lok.de/inhalt.htm#eng

It appears on cellar door Henry's Seven's at the moment. I believe they are 'considering' it, but no firm decision has been made.
See my weekly video podcast at wineweek.com.au

User avatar
roughred
Posts: 314
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:34 pm
Location: ALBURY

Post by roughred »

At a Foster's tasting on Monday night the Foster's global wine ambassador said that Grange had been bottled under screwcap for trial purposes for a few years and that he expected alternate closures would become an option in the near future, whatever that may mean. Certainly not the firm no suggested above by Gago.

Hot topic on the night as two of the 02 Grange's opened on the night were corked, one horribly so.

LL

Grand Cru
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:54 pm
Location: Melbourne

Post by Grand Cru »

They gave pre release purchasers (retailers) a choice of cork or screw for the Block 42 and Bin ??A.

My information has it that screwcap was the overwhelming choice. Now wouldn't the purchasers of the above wines be the same guys that buy Grange?
I like them young, I like them old but most of all I like them bold

aj_syrah
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 4:33 am
Location: Melbourne

Post by aj_syrah »

Was at the caulfield dan murphy's the other day, and the block 42 and bin 60A were both under screwcap. The bin 60A recieves the highest score (19.7/20) that Jeremy Oliver has ever given a wine, and the block 42 is the only other 19.6/20 or higher wine per JO that isn't past JO's drinking window.

AJ_SYRAH>>

User avatar
Wayno
Posts: 1633
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:31 pm
Location: Adelaide, Australia

Post by Wayno »

What do they sell for?
Cheers
Wayno

Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.

marsalla
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 5:08 pm
Location: italy

Post by marsalla »

roughred wrote:At a Foster's tasting on Monday night the Foster's global wine ambassador said that ............
LL


Global Wine Ambassador eh, did he wear medals and sashes and stuff?

A fosters Interplanetary Wine Ambassador would have to be a klingon surely.

aj_syrah
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 4:33 am
Location: Melbourne

Post by aj_syrah »

wayno wrote:What do they sell for?

About $500 per bottle. Probably a better wine than grange, and better value.

User avatar
Wayno
Posts: 1633
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:31 pm
Location: Adelaide, Australia

Post by Wayno »

Bargain!
Cheers
Wayno

Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.

Post Reply