Page 1 of 1
To be sure, to be sure
Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:33 pm
by Davo
Interesting phenomenom for the screwcap v cork discussion.
We opened a bottle of McWilliams Vintage Port 1964 this week, one cool night providing an excellent excuse if one were needed.
Unscrewed the cap to reveal the neck of the bottle occluded totally by a wet substance which proveed to be ......
...... a long cork.
Yes a cork in place below a ROTE.
To add further to this the label reads "bottled in 1964" and "To ensure that no loss occurs due to cork deterioration during further ageing, it has beeen decanted and re-corked prior to marketing."
No mention of the screwcap.
Oh, and the wine was spectacular. Only 3 left now.
Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:50 pm
by brad
Davo, any date for the decanting/recorking and subsequent screwcapping?
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 12:42 am
by Davo
Brad,
No dates on the label but there are clues provided as the ROTEs were first trialed in the 70's and the label gives the contents as 750ml which would place label printing after 1974 which, despite decimalisation in 1966, was when labelling of contents on bottles finally went decimal (from memory).
So that would mean:
vintage 1964 minus your guess and mine in the barrel
first bottled 1964
decanted and rebottled around 1974
When are we going to have a get together for some tucker. I might be tempted to open another.
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 1:58 am
by Guest
Had a '47 Hardy's Show Port some years back, in screw cap. Apparently WWII used up most cork supplies for life jackets, etc. so immediately after there was none available. So a tomato sauce screw cap. The wine was magnificent, though a lot of clolour had dropped out.
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 10:24 am
by brad
Davo wrote:Brad,
When are we going to have a get together for some tucker. I might be tempted to open another.
Next time you're in town let me know and I'll put on some dinner at my new place. I'm down the beach now so good opportunity for that midnight skinnydip I know you love.
Otherwise, somwhere in Perth for a mini-offline. I'm up at least once a month. I'll let you know next time.
cheers, brad
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 12:23 pm
by DJ
Anonymous wrote:Had a '47 Hardy's Show Port some years back, in screw cap. Apparently WWII used up most cork supplies for life jackets, etc. so immediately after there was none available. So a tomato sauce screw cap. The wine was magnificent, though a lot of clolour had dropped out.
Sorry don't believe the story. Hardy's Show port went through the same vintage identity crisis that Para did when the vintage rules changed. I have a 1945 Hardy's Show Port in screw cap in the cellar - both it and the '47 would have both been bottled in the 70's.
BTW, I've seen cork under screw cap in I think the 72 Hardys Vintage Port - so McWilliams weren't the only one trying this.
David