Cork v Stelvin Tasting.

[JamieAdelaide]

Nice read. I’m finding I’m not happy wit stelvin and semillon and not convinced of stelvin with red. Stelvin and white has been amazing!


https://wineanorak.com/2024/11/26/cork-versu ... g-results/

[I Love Shiraz]

I hate cork. Too many bad experiences. I must admit wines under stelvin age slower because of less oxygen getting in, but that's OK. That is a small price to pay to have a wine guaranteed it is going to be OK.

[sjw_11]

www.wineanorak.com/2024/11/26/cork-versus-screwcap-a-major-tasting-including-older-wines-with-some-interesting-results/

[Ian S]

Thanks for posting that Sam, and a thumbs up to Jamie Goode for his careful avoidance of stridency.

What was always going to be a long term unknown, is the eventual trajectory of the wine's maturity. i.e. what does 'full maturity/over-maturity' under screwcap look like? What that needs is a lot of time, and the luck in having a really good cork in a control bottle from the same vintage/lot to compare it against.

I presume that with liners that allow a prescribed level of oxygen transmission, there will eventually be oxidation, but I wonder if anyone has experienced that yet (outside of damaged capsules). Has anyone here tasted an over-mature (tin/saran rather than saranex) screwcap sealed wine? As I recall, the earlier editions of modern screwcaps weren't designed for oxygen ingress, so their trajectory would be especially interesting.

One little snippet that I hadn't thought about before, but makes perfect sense, is that corks themselves release a small amount of oxygen into the wine. That the best corks then stop meaningful oxygen ingress, was not a surprise.

[JamieAdelaide]

I hate cork. Too many bad experiences. I must admit wines under stelvin age slower because of less oxygen getting in, but that's OK. That is a small price to pay to have a wine guaranteed it is going to be OK.

Cork has significant problems. They seem a lot worse in some regions. I’m finding the problems are far less than I read about from Aussies. I hope I haven’t jinxed myself. Perfect cellaring may give a greater success rate ( from oxidation and forward development )

I opened 18 Mt Edelstones from 1956 last weekend. All but one excellent. A 97 wasn’t as good as a few years ago so maybe cork muted the wine or just its age.

I then saw 300 bottles opened the next night- high end Barolo at $1000 a bottle to Piedmont basics at $20. I’m getting the final tally now.

Stelvin is still questionable to me for reds as my first generation of reds under stelvin mature. Boring and retarded in some cases. In other scenarios structural evolution out of whack with undeveloped fruit so it’s like drinking juice.

Semillon needs a cork. Other whites incredible with a lot of age .

I don’t know. Not yet convinced. Funny! Tonight I’m opening an 03 Elizabeth under cork. It’s a coin toss under cork!

[Chuck]

I agree stelvin creates glacial aging but I no longer worry about dud expensive bottles under cork both corked and premox etc. Tasting notes from special events here express frustration when carefully stored wines under cork are stuffed. But for many this is a price to pay to experience wines under cork. Particularly reds. Can't argue with that.

Most of my wines (mostly OZ) are under stelvin. All I know is I know exactly what every freshly opened bottle will taste like. Zero bottle variation apart from age difference.

Just one question to all. If wine was invented today and they asked for ideas on how to seal bottles how far would cork get in the conversation?

[JamieAdelaide]

Most of my wines (mostly OZ) are under stelvin. All I know is I know exactly what every freshly opened bottle will taste like. Zero bottle variation apart from age difference.

Just one question to all. If wine was invented today and they asked for ideas on how to seal bottles how far would cork get in the conversation?

Having been weened on mature wine, opening an aged in stelvin, Aussie red, that’s fresh fruited and structurally tired has been underwhelming in some cases. Last night had an 04 Petaluma under cork which was very good and a Katnook cab under stelvin which delivered exactly what the Aussie consumer may want? Fresh fruited and squealing acidity was OK enough. I’m often finding I crave a cork jammed into such reds bettering the outcome.

On your hypothetical, who knows? You would have to jump forward on time with a stelvin product and a modern cork product. The variation of stelvin and the occasional failure, could well be little different to the most modern and quality assured of corks. Now these corks still do fail as well. Despite carry on.

[felixp21]

I will buy Chardonnay and Riesling under screwcap or diam, and Aussie pinot likewise. Nothing else.
My experiences with full-bodied reds under screwcap indicate that, for my palate, cork is a far better option.

[Ian S]

In other scenarios structural evolution out of whack with undeveloped fruit so it’s like drinking juice.

I did a little reading, as although I knew tannins polymerised and softened, before eventually dropping out of suspension, I didn't know what enabled that transition. That reading suggests heat and oxygen, which would suggest that in a cool cellar, the tannin softening and dropping out, ought to be similarly retarded by less oxygen ingress. Not sure about acid, as that I believe is less affected by age. Perhaps the dissolved air in the cork plays an important part - would it be absorbed in the wine after SO2 (in bottling process) is absorbed?

All well beyond my knowledge of chemistry!