New cork persuasion
I went to the Chelan County Fair today to gather information for a story for Friday’s paper. As I was leaving, I decided to take a look at the home winemaker display. Alex and Joanne Saliby were there hovering over the several empty wine bottles, several festooned with red and blue ribbons. The display looked nice, but it’s unfortunate that ancient state liquor laws forbid wine to actually be in the bottle during the fair. The bottles, many with attractive homemadelabels, did look good, however, and made me very curious about the taste of the elixirs they once held.
Alex, who played a role in the judging, was good enough to take me aside and advise me about my use of recycled corks. Frugal and environmentally sensitive they may be, but he thinks they just don’t cut it in terms of stoppering a good wine. No way to get them clean of old wine residues without drenching them in sulfur dioxide or chlorine which is probably even more disastrous to wine taste and aroma. He said about five of 18 entries used recycled corks and all seemed to suffer as a result. I appreciate the advice and plan to put in an order for some new corks soon.
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Yup. We looked at the corks and found that the better wines had been corked with new corks. I am a great believer in thrift, but there is a point at which it becomes self-defeating. New corks, and absolute cleanliness are essential in every step of winemaking. Did you read the literature there, about cleanliness? Alex researched it all, and it is there for all to read. Thanks for coming by today.
By the way, John Butler was there with his several entries in vegetables, besides his medal-winning wines. Whatever he..and Rose…do, they do well. Did you see her quilt on the wall? Lovely, but it pales in comparison to some of her other work.