B-21 on Facebook
Corq U: the Sad Case of R Parker
The trials of being Mr. P, as posted on the Wine Advocate blog.
“Once at Bouley in NYC…a very famous collector was already 2/3s through a magnum of 1959 Haut Brion when I sat down to dinner…he graciously sent over a glass which was undrinkable (corked and dramatically so)….I chose not to embarrass him and his friends and thanked him …..wondering ever since did he go away that night telling everyone ‘Parker is an idiot for not recognizing our corked bottle’ “
I sympathize, Robert, although I can’t exactly put myself there (Bouley is treat enough, I don’t expect a stranger to pour me anything). In etiquette, you took the right course; don’t offend fans, especially those who show off ’59 Haut Brion. In wine drinking, it’s a bummer but it was his money wagered on the bottle.
What corkqs me more often in everyday life is the synthetic corq made of some unknown material discovered in the space program. They are the devil to get out.
Toad Hollow Risque Semi-Dry Sparkling ($12.99)
I’ll go with with corks or screwcaps; I’m no extremist. My inner tree-hugger loves cork and my lazy evil twin is excited to see screwcaps gain ground constantly.
But I’m dead-set against the plastic middle ground, no matter how cute the colors are.
So why limit wine to corks, corqs and screwcaps?
There’s more than one way to seal a bottle. One of my favorites, and possibly yours, is on Grolsch beer bottles; a porcelain cap and rubber gasket with a metal ring and spring, natural materials and ingenious technology (from 1875).
This cap, called a Lightning closure, is getting more use today on gourmet sauces and beverages as a sign of old fashioned craft. It’s on Toad Hollow’s Risque, lively light-hearted sparkler, imported by waggish Californians, with a can-can label and a kicky closure ($12.99).
The same cap and cage is on the recycled glass bottles of 360 Vodka ($15.99), a new line of “eco-friendly” spirits, available in double chocolate and cola flavors for sweetie greenies.
They are right about recycling. When a bottle has a Lightning cap, you want to reuse it, not discard it.
Maybe we could retrofit a Lighting cap on older Haut Brion? Then you could take the dregs home instead of offering them to neighboring celebrities.
No comments yet.