What is corked wine?  Why does it happen?  What should you do about it?

Wine is “corked” when naturally occurring fungi in the air convert chlorinate phenol compounds in the wine to trichloroanisole (TCA), a chemical that is detectable in very small quantities, and gives the wine an aroma and taste not unlike wet cardboard or musty books.  In addition, the desirable aromas of the wine are much reduced.  The chemical is harmless, but it destroys the aesthetic experience of the wine, and can render it unpalatable and undrinkable.

TCA contamination can be specific to a given bottle, or systemic in a bottling run.  Sometimes, just the individual cork is contaminated or improperly sanitized.  Rarely, a wooden cask or barrel used for aging can contaminate an entire bottling.  The latter almost never goes undetected by the winery, leaving corked bottles an infrequent and isolated incident.

Winemakers have taken a number of steps over the years to reduce or eliminate the risk of corking.  Composite corks, where the cork is primarily made of coarsely ground particles that are sanitized and reconstituted, are helpful because the greater surface area of the ground cork allows sanitizing agents to permeate most of the material.  Whole corks are now usually sanitized with hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine bleach, to eliminate a possible source of chlorine ions that help make up TCA.

Synthetic corks and twist-caps are becoming more and more prevalent, even on premium wines.  Traditionalists decry their use, claiming that wines with these closures don’t age properly, given that they are not as permeable to oxygen as natural corks.  Slow oxidation is a component of wine’s life cycle, and some say that cutting off that oxygen supply leads to “reduction” flavors in the wines using non-permeable closures.  Reduction (chemically the opposite of oxidation) occurs in wine when certain compounds, primarily tannins, are deprived of oxygen and steal it from other molecules in the wine.  This is generally detectable as sulphur-like aromas – just-struck matches, “sewer”, burning rubber, rotten egg.  In most cases, all that’s needed is a little bit of air time before drinking, and decanting is an excellent remedy.

What do you do if you get a corked wine?  Most of the time, if it’s noticeable to the untrained palate, it’s severe enough to make the wine generally undrinkable.  What you do about that ruined bottle depends on how you acquired it.

If you order wine at a restaurant, the bottle will be opened at the table and you will be presented with the cork.  Look at it to ensure that it’s not damaged, doesn’t show signs of leakage, and isn’t spongy or deteriorating.  If it shows any of these defects, be on the alert and pay attention to what happens next.  The waiter or wine steward will pour a small amount for you – swirl it in the glass and smell it.  If it smells musty, fungal, or like wet dog, inform the server and send it back.  This is why this ritual is performed – it gives the customer the opportunity to reject a spoiled bottle.  A good restaurant will almost never dispute a returned bottle of wine, so refuse its service if you’re suspicious.  By the same token, don’t send a non-spoiled bottle back just because you don’t like the wine, though most of the time they’ll accept it (and serve it by the glass at the bar!).

If you purchased the wine directly from the winery, call them and let them know.  Most will be glad to replace the bottle, or offer an equivalent.  If the winery’s local, take it back to them.  If they’re at all interested in quality control and perception of their product, they’ll be interested in evaluating the bottle themselves.  If the winery’s not local, they may or may not arrange to have the spoiled bottle sent back to them.

Your local cut-rate liquor store may or may not offer an exchange, but a reputable wine shop should almost always exchange a corked bottle if it’s a recent purchase.  Returning a wine that’s been in the cellar for 10 years is likely out of the question, but if you’re a long-time regular customer, a good merchant may offer to make good.  It’s always good to get to know your wine dealer.  Talk to them when you’re in the store, make sure they know your name, and they’ll take care of you to ensure you stay a valued customer.

All of which presents a dilemma.  I want to have a good glass of wine with dinner.  But the quantity of food and the flavors makes choosing an appropriate drink a bit of a challenge.  With candied sweet potatoes, oyster stuffing, and turkey legs waiting to send you into carbo-overload and tryptophan nappy-time, this is not an opportunity to whip out the best vintages.  That being said, Thanksgiving is a “special occasion” with friends and family gathered around the holiday table, and cheap plonk just doesn’t seem right.

So, what’s called for are decent wines that won’t get lost or be squandered competing with the bounty of the rest of the table.  They also need to be assertive enough to hold their own against a fair amount of heavy eating without adding too much of their own weight.  To this end, I would suggest serving three wines, scaled in quantity to serve all of your guests at least one glass of each.

To start the meal, I’d like you to consider a dry rosé.  Something from Tavel or somewhere else along the Rhône valley, including the southernmost AOC from the Rhône, Costieres de Nimes.  Tavel wines are more famous, and thus more expensive than the Nimes offerings, but either offers good aperitif dryness and solid red-berry fruit flavors.  These are typically blends of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and/or Grenache Noir.  While dry, they give the impression of a slight sweetness through their bright flavors.  White Zinfandel has been the inoffensive choice of many a Thanksgiving feast, and this changes things up a little without presenting a huge challenge to the average palate.  You should be able to find a good Rhône rosé for $10-12.

Once everyone’s tucked into their stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green-bean casserole, the intensity of the wine needs to step up as well.  I’ll be getting comfy at this point, and lighter flavors are not going to play well.  Still, there’s plenty of food on the table, and I’m usually eying seconds, so this is no time to drink a glass that’ll make me want to curl up on the couch.  Enter the secret weapon – Alsatian whites.  Riesling, Gewürtztraminer, and Pinot Gris from Alsace are still dry white wines, but they have an intensity of honeyed, floral perfume and bright apple, pear, peach, melon, apricot, and citrus flavors.  Their balanced, forward acidity refreshes the palate and cuts through heavy foods.  A solid vintage will be a $15-20 wine.

For that last go-round of the dark meat on the turkey platter, the stuffed mushroom caps, and giblet gravy, I want a red wine.  Not only that, I want a red wine that wraps everything up in a velvet package with a nice little bow on top.  That calls for a pinot noir or Beaujolais.  However, being that I’m probably stuffed to the gunwhales at this point, I’m not breaking out the best vintage Burgundy, Moulin-au-Vent, or a big-buck “cult” Californian.  There are a few Sonoma Valley pinots and Burgundian vin de pays (Burgundy wines bottled by varietal name, rather than the AOC) that fit the bill, for somewhere around $10-15 a bottle, and Beaujolais nouveau is on the shelves.  Young pinots should be opened and decanted before the start of the meal, and served at the end.  Beaujolais should be slightly chilled, but not cold.

We’ve whetted our appetites with rosé.  We’ve re-stimulated our taste buds via the graces of Alsace.  Finally, as a prelude to a nap, pie, and coffee, we wrapped everything up with a restrained, approachable red – a cushion on which our weary stomachs may fall in repose.  We’ve tread the treacherous path of the Thanksgiving wine list, and emerged with a pleasant, wistful, if slightly drowsy smile.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Fortunately, there are still quality wines to be found that won’t send you into sticker shock.  When an entry-level Burgundy or Bordeaux starts at $30 a bottle retail, it’s good to know that by shopping from the neighbors of great wine districts, or by choosing younger wines from the same pedigree, you can get the quality and character without the price tag.  By shopping wisely, you can keep yourself in good vin rouge for $10 a bottle, with a splurge up to $14-15 for those relaxing weekend evenings.

The first place you need to look is the southern Rhone Valley of France.  The Rhone gives us the famed wines of Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  However, in a similar style at a fraction of the price are the wines from Costieres de Nimes at the very southern end of the valley.  Nimes wines use the same blends as more famous Rhone vintages – Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache.  The style is lightly oaked, easily drinkable, with firm tannins and black fruit flavor.   The Chateau de Nages pictured above smells of black cherry, vanilla, and licorice, and tastes of blueberries, black cherry, and mulberry with a bit of floral violets on the finish.  Color is deep purple and the body is on the full side of medium, with intense fruit flavors and good structure.

Nimes wines are enjoyable young, especially with an hour or two of decanting before serving.  They should age well for 4-5 years if they show firm tannic structure when young.  Southern Rhone wines, while generally more interesting than your average Cote du Rhones or Cote du Rhones Villages, are not in high demand.  This is a shame, but it’s also an opportunity to lay down some really nice wines for very little cash.

Another great place to go for really luxuriant European reds is Spain’s Rioja appelation.  There are four “grades” of these wines that you will find on the shelf, Rioja, Rioja Crianza, Rioja Reserva, and Rioja Gran Reserva.  Rioja, unqualified, is aged for a year before bottling, with at least some time in oak.  Crianza is aged for two years, at least one in oak.  Reserva is aged three years before bottling, with one in oak.  Gran Reserva wines get two years oak aging, three total.

You will pay $20-30 each for a Reserva or Gran Reserva.  However, Crianzas are rather cheaper.  Unqualified Riojas and Crianzas are typically within a dollar or two in price, and the extra aging prior to going into the bottle makes a big difference.  Gran Reservas are for those who like a lot of oak character, and Reservas are for those who want a slightly more refined wine that’s a little closer to being at its best drinking.  For pure value, the Crianza is where you want to go.

Riojas are primarily made from the Tempranillo grape, with some Garnacha (Grenache), Mazuelo, and Graciano.  The more expensive versions are 100% Tempranillo, or nearly so.  However, even if you splurge most still fall from $9-14 a bottle.  Riojas are velvety, with restrained grape and oak tannins, a big nose, and flavors of red fruit, earth, cedar, and tobacco.  They are very smooth, warm, decadent wines.  If you are not familiar with Spanish wines other than Madiera and sherry, you owe it to yourself to grab a few bottles of Rioja Crianza.  Lay a few down for 2-3 years, but drink them as you buy them, too.  A little decanter time before imbibing will open the aromas up wonderfully.

Is a Reserva that much better that you want to pay twice the price, on average?  Perhaps for a special meal, but as an everyday pour, the younger vintage gives you a good portion of the experience for less dough.  Plus, frugal doesn’t always have to mean sacrifice.

BV Napa Valley Zinfandel is an affordable wine: $13-14 most days.  Beaulieu wines are generally solid, but not necessarily outstanding in their field.  Zins are usually pretty big with lots of tannin structure, so before tasting this I poured it into a decanter, to sit for a little under two hours prior to sampling.

Details:

Name: Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 Zinfandel, Napa Valley
Type: Red
Country: California
Region: Napa
Grapes: 100% Zinfandel
Price: $14

My score: 89 points (out of 100) – full bodied, pretty well balanced and delicious, with decent complexity.  Nice nose.  A little fruit-bomby, especially on the attack.  Relatively long finish.

Notes:

Color: Deep plum

Nose: Lots and lots of blackberry, with creamy vanilla from oak aging.  In fact, it smells a lot like baked blackberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top.  A little woody/cedary component, and a little black licorice as the fruit component subsides.

First Taste: Blackberries!  Blackberries!  Blackberries!  Did I mention blackberries?  Bing cherry, too, followed by cassis and vanilla on the mid-palate.  Finishes on the back end with dark cocoa and cedar.  Mouth-filling.

Second Taste: This is a hearty wine, with pretty good structure and balance.  It’s very fruit-forward, but the black fruit and 14.5% alcohol is contained nicely.  The tannins and acid help offset the fruit, so it’s adequately balanced, but not perfectly so.  Flavors are abundant and powerful, with a long finish lingering with dark cherry and cocoa notes.

Impressions: Not a bad Big Red Wine for $14.  A bit more balance between the fruit and tannins, and this is a 90-point wine.  Would pair well with cured meats (salamis – yum), mutton, game (venison, boar), or grilled beef.

Shape up.

You pitch your wines as a boutique product, with prices to match.  I’m not going to pay $20+ a bottle for wine that’s quite obviously inferior to $7 California plonk I can pick up at any wine shop.  I’m not going to go out of my way for your products, because they don’t offer anything more than a warm fuzzy feeling for supporting local producers.  That isn’t enough.  Goodwill only goes so far.

I spent a day at the Maryland Wine Festival in Westminster, MD on the 21^st of September.  I visited the tents of every winery there.  Of the 3 hours I spent sampling wine, I found fewer than a half dozen that were even average examples of their type.  There were many horrible wines – oxidized whites with sherry aromas, bitter reds, sharp, sour, and tasteless varietals that poorly represented their key characteristics, and dessert wines that taste little better than slightly alcoholic grocery-store grape juice.  In this day and age, there is no excuse for producing undrinkable wine, but you all are managing it with aplomb.

No wonder sweet wines are your biggest sellers – your dry table wines are just not good.  Do you even drink wine?  Do you appreciate what makes wine appealing, and what qualities make up a good wine?  Do you really believe that your products compare favorably to those readily available to the wine consumer?  I find it hard to believe that you can honestly, and with a straight face, put a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc out on the market for $15-25 that lacks the even a hint of the balance of fruit and acid, minerality and toastiness that even the most average $10-14 bottle from New Zealand, California, or Italy offers.  If the examples I tasted this weekend are the best you can manage, you are delusional.

Flaunt your Governor’s Cup medals all you want – they’re bloody meaningless and they’re awarded in unseemly volume.  I’d really be interested in seeing those scores, because there are gold- and silver-medal winners listed here that I immediately dumped after the first taste, as they were wretched.  The state agriculture folks need to stop rewarding bad product – you as winemakers need a reality check, and the state organizations need to stop cheerleading for inferior goods.  It does you and the state of Maryland no favors.

Stop trying to grow Pinot Noir.  It all sucks.  It is a very challenging grape, and Maryland does not have the climate nor terroir to support good Pinot.  Just because it’s the hot varietal doesn’t mean you should plant it.  Retire your DVD of Sideways and leave Pinot Noir to the Willamette Valley, Santa Barbara, Sonoma County, and Burgundy.  Neither does Cabernet Sauvignon do all that well here – it’s thin and lacks body.  It’s best blended with other varietals, not sold as a pure alternative to the excellent offerings from Napa.  Riesling requires cool summers and mild transitions to colder weather to develop their famous acidity – our hot summers produce flabby Rieslings.

Find varietals that do well here in the Mid-Atlantic and exploit them to their fullest.  Take a cue from Virginia and pursue perfecting Cabernet Franc and Viognier, grapes that seem to thrive on Mid-Atlantic hillsides.  Your Chardonnays are middling, and that can be helped with better treatment in the winery, especially through eschewing aging in wood.  Italian grapes like Sangiovese and Barbera show some promise.  Stop trying to be Napa Valley.  Maryland is not Napa, not Sonoma – it’s Maryland.

Oak is not your savior.  Oak is not a magic spell that makes poor wine good.  Please, please, please quit over-oaking your wines.  I got so sick of smelling funky, overwhelmingly woody oak barrels every time I lifted a glass to my nose.  I don’t want to taste barrel, I want to taste fruit and acidity and grape tannins, with oak’s vanilla components as a complement.  I don’t want to feel like I’m chewing a mouthful of oak chips along with every sip.  I don’t want to be roughed up with a two-by-four in every glass.  More oak does not equal more quality or more class.  Learn what the hell stainless steel tanks are good for.  Limit the amount of time your wines spend in wood, or use older casks.  Right now, the signature Maryland wine characteristic is not that of the vineyard or winery, but that of a lumberyard.

If you’re going to pretend to being serious winemakers, get serious.  Find out what works, and take maximum advantage of it.  Drop varietals that have no business growing in our climate.  If your wines cannot stand alone without massive amounts of oaking to add body, then you need to fix that.  If you really love wine, show it.

Because right now, you’re a joke.  Your wines are an insult.

This Blanchet 2007 comes out of a small 8-acre winery in the heart of the Pouilly-Fumé region, and goes wonderfully with fish and seafood.  It would also complement summer salads with bitter greens and vinaigrette dressings, but not likely those with fruit.  I can also see this pairing well with pastas tossed with vegetables or seafood, dressed with olive oil.

Details:

Name: Gilles Blanchet 2007 Pouilly-Fumé
Type: White
Country: France
Region: Loire
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Price: $17

My score: 90 points (out of 100) – Intriguing, somewhat complex, makes me want more.

Notes:

Color: straw yellow

Nose: The first thing that hits me is the clean citrus smell.  Underneath the lemony fruitiness is a grassy note, almost asparagus-tips in its green-ness.  There’s a steely/flinty/smoky minerality that’s noticeable as the other aromas fade.  It’s not a lush aroma, but it’s clean and enticing.

First Taste: The initial impression I get is one of restrained fullness.  The primary flavors are tart apple, lemon zest, and tangerine rind.  The green component in the nose is manifesting itself here in combination with the citrus to give almost a lemongrass – or white tea with lemon – feel.

Second Taste: The primary fruits are still there and asserting themselves.  I like this – it shows that the cleanness and bright acidity leave my palate fresh, and the wine isn’t tiring out my sense of taste.  The body is good – a solid medium mouthfeel.  The fruit on the initial attack fades through the green components and a stony/flinty stage to a crisp acidity on the back end with the lingering impression of the citrus and apple.

Impressions: I definitely want to drink this again.  The central elements were all very consistent and well balanced, and every time I picked up the glass I noticed a slightly different nuance.  This wine held my interest, and asked me politely to pay attention to every sip.

Last time we had Riesling, it was a German vintage from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region.  Rieslings from Alsace, France are a different beast.  They retain the fruit, acidity, and floral nose of their German counterparts, but are fermented completely dry, or very nearly so.  The Jean Albrecht 2006 Reserve is a clean, crisp wine that is well suited to summer dining as well as the roasted, toasted flavors of fall.

This wine is as different from the Moselle variety as can be – bracing acidity, big, honeyed aromas, and moderately full body.  If you dislike the sweetness of the German types, Riesling from Alsace may very well be your thing.  They’re under-appreciated wines in the US and, even with the weak dollar, a good value for a wonderfully food-friendly wine.

Details:

Name: Jean Albrecht 2006 Reserve Riesling
Type: White
Country: France
Region: Alsace
Grapes: 100% Riesling
Price: $16

My score: 88 points (out of 100) – solid wine, interesting qualities.

Notes:

Color: greenish-gold

Nose: My initial impression is of clover or golden tupelo honey, canned pears in syrup, and granny smith apple.  The floral component comes through very strongly.  As I get accustomed to the most forward flavors, there are suggestions of ginger and a sweet botanical component.  Maybe mint, maybe licorice root.  A pleasant nose.

First Taste: I like it.  This wine has a good, solid body.  The acidity balances well with the mouth feel and very forward fall-fruit flavors.  The tartness is pleasant, not overwhelming, with lots of green apple flavor and some unripe pear.  Theresa mentions she doesn’t like the drier style as much, but goes back for seconds anyway.

Second Taste: More fall fruit.  I like that the acidity is balanced nicely with the barest hint of residual sugar.  I’m getting some dried apricot coming through.  The finish is moderate, with a transition from the initial fruitiness to honey flavors on the back end.  Leaves a clean, fresh palate.

Impressions: This is a very good food wine.  The acidity works well with meatier fishes (we had blackened rare tuna) and would probably stand up to roasted poultry.  I have a feeling this would be a great Thanksgiving wine – it holds its own against a lot of flavors.  The transition from the attack to the finish is a bit abrupt, with not much interest on the mid-palate.  However, this is a solid dry Riesling and a good sub-$20 pick.

Mosel wines are typically characterized by floral, fruity aromas and fall fruit flavors – apples, pears, quince – their lighter body buoyed up by their aromas and tantalizing tartness on the palate.  Beneath the fruit, a mineral component should be present, a clean minerality like a good artesian water.

Unfortunately, this particular wine did not deliver the goods.  While it delivered solid fruit flavors, it lacked in other areas.  Admitedly, at $11 a bottle, this isn’t a top example of the style, but I’ve had $11-12 QbA wines (unclassified vintages) that have provided more classic Riesling profiles than this QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat).

Details:

Name: Adolph Mueller 2007 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spätlese
Country: Germany
Region: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Piesport
Grapes: 100% Riesling
Price: $11

My score: 83 points (out of 100) – some good, some bad, doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Notes:

Nose: Tight out of the bottle.  Not much coming through.  After a good long swirl, there’s some apricot, citrus, and pear there.  There’s an odd green component – I want to say green bell pepper, but that’s not quite right.  Not getting the typical Riesling floral notes, which doesn’t bode well for a Spätlese.

First Taste: The initial sense is sugar.  Rather sweet, but with lots of fruit.  There’s apricot, pineapple, and pear (Theresa agrees on the pineapple).  I’m missing the acidity.  It’s not so lacking as to merit the term “flabby,” but it’s noticeably out of balance.

Second Taste: I’m letting the wine warm up in the glass a bit, and the balance of sweetness and acidity seems to improve a little.  Of course, it could just be my palate getting used to the sugar level.  The nose is still fairly tight, but a little honeysuckle note creeps in – maybe this was that odd green scent I picked up earlier developing as the wine warms.

Impressions: With a little more acidity, this becomes a much more interesting wine.  As it stands, it’s tiringly sweet, better suited to a small glass with fruit for dessert.  A good Riesling plays well with seafood – this would overwhelm it.  Pass on this – for the same price, you can likely find an unclassified Riesling that’s more satisfying.