101 Things to Do With Leftover Corks

Crafty bloggers like Sonadora at Wannabe Wino and Catie from Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine have shared with readers their strategies for dealing with leftover corks. From the practical (trivets) to the whimsical (placecard holders), these creative ideas promised to take some of the corks rolling around your drawers and put them to some good use.

But would you use them to cover your car?

This woman did.

And there's more, as the blog Terramia, dedicated to design, shows us. You can make couches from them, plant-stands, coasters (using old cds), cover old outdoor tables with them, and use them in scores of other objects that go way past practical and whimsical and head towards the sublime and the ridiculous.

Where would we be without BoingBoing on a Friday? Not contemplating sipping a sangiovese while sitting on this armchair, that's for sure.

Closure Issues

So it's about 100 degrees outside, and you put a bottle of lovely French Sancerre in the fridge so that when you get home you can sit with a cool glass of white wine, letting the condensation drip down onto your hot little fingers and putting the cares of the day behind you.

Then the corkscrew slips into the cork and you realize you have a problem. The cork is spongy. This is not a good sign. You manage to get it out and there is the distinctive whiff of wet dog and old wet newspapers. This is also not a good sign. You taste it and it tastes of wildlife and old, wet newspapers.

You've just had closure issues. Everyone in California has issues, or so they say in New York. But when a bottle of wine is not sealed properly, all kinds of nastiness creeps into what would otherwise be your after work treat.

There is nothing like closure issues to make the most steadfast, cork-loving, traditionalist take a dramatic left turn towards the land of screw-tops, glass stoppers, synthetic corks, and crown caps. So I quickly stuck a bottle of champagne into the fridge, determined not to be foiled by another corked bottle of wine (at least not tonight).

It was the 2000 Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut ($27.99, Beverages and More), which was capped with a crown-style bottle cap like those you would find on beer. This was a first for me. Though gussied up with a ribbon, this closure simply does not scream romance. But it did mean that I could open up my sparkler without worrying that it was going to smell of wildlife. Tainted wine, it turns out, is even less romantic than a crown-cap.

The 2000 Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut has very good QPR. Pouring the wine into the glass I was struck by its bright gilt color, its abundant fine froth and its tiny, tiny bead. This is just what I like in a sparkling wine. Aromas of mineral, toast, yeast, and apple were inviting and promising, and the wine delivered on that promise in the flavors department with pear, apple, warm bread, and stone. This represents some of the flavor complexity one would expect to find in an imported French champagne, but seldom get in a domestic I found it had a surprisingly long finish for a brut wine. This is Chandon's premier bottling, and some of the complexity is the result of the 5 years of ageing this wine gets in the bottle on the yeast.

While this sparkler was more expensive than those I normally drink, and you did not get the familiar popping the cork ritual, I would definitely buy more of this wine. And I will be looking for the brut's pink sibling, too. Would you buy sparkling wine under a beer cap--I mean crown cap? After this experience, I would. With screw-caps now adorning Burgundy bottles, can Champagne be far behind?

Mixed Cases, Take 2

Asimov's at it again over at the Pour, with two more mixed cases to follow up on his popular and controversial "Wine School." (photo by Ian Britton from FreeFoto.com)

If you've not been following the story so far, Asimov decided to have two NYC wine merchants put together mixed cases of wine so that he could expand his knowledge and taste things he might not otherwise taste. People were critical of the cost, the selection, and the fact they couldn't find the exact same wines to drink. There was also indignation at the fact that there was only one US wine among the 24 bottles (bad news: the new cases have only one US wine, too, the 2001 Edmund St. Johns Syrah from El Dorado County)

But the real purpose of Asimov's "Wine School" is to get US drinkers to drink widely and inexpensively, to have fun, and to learn what you like while doing so. All of us need to be reminded that this is what the love of wine is all about.

His second mixed cases build on the wines that he liked from his first--which is how it's supposed to be. They have even more Loire wines which Asimov really enjoyed (including a 2002 Baumard Savennieres that I've got waiting in my cellar and picked up at Costco), the Cortijo III Rioja Tinto (I reviewed their rose recently), the La Roquette Chateauneuf-du-Pape (always a favorite and a steal at slightly over $20) and some nice Italian selections. It's worth clicking over there on the link above to see what's what and get inspired to have your favorite merchant mix you your own case of wines.

So, want to go back to school this summer? Never ordered a case of wine before, never mind a mixed case? If you've never done this before, here's what to do. First, I'd recommend finding an independent wine retailer rather than going to a huge wine store chain. Ask around on Chowhound's Wine Board if you don't know a good store in your area--someone there surely does. The ten most recent posts have recommendations for the best wine stores between Buffalo and Erie, for instance. Then:

If you are a complete newbie, just have them mix 5 whites, 5 reds, 1 rose, and 1 sparkling wine. Tell them how much total you want to spend. Leave with your case. Enjoy. Keep notes on what you liked and didn't for your next mixed case. Repeat when the shelf gets bare.

If you know what you like, tell the merchant "I like sauvignon blanc, lightly oaked chardonnay, syrah, and pinot. I want to drink more European/South American/New World/Old World/California/Oregon/Washington/New York wines (circle appropriate choices)." Tell them how much you want to spend on the whole case. Leave with your case. Enjoy. Keep notes on what you liked and didn't for your next mixed case. Repeat when the shelf gets bare.

Now that readers are a bit calmer over at The Pour, it is clear that what is attractive about the mixed-case strategy is that it takes some of the stress out of the experience of trying new wines. You get a dozen wines. You won't like them all. But you may discover that Loire whites are your thing, or that you love malbec. That knowledge--which will pay off 1o-fold over the rest of your life--is worth the $13 you spent on the pinot grigio you didn't like and so served as an aperitif with nachos to unsuspecting houseguests on Saturday night.

Catavino Virtual Tasting for May: Albarino

After their successful April virtual tasting of rose wines, Catavino is back with another virtual tasting event to wet your whistle and expand your knowledge of Spanish wines for May.

May's focus will be on albarino wines, the varietal native to Galicia--though you may be more familiar with the designation "Rias Baixes" on the label. I've only had one albarino wine that I had after a recommendation from Wannabe Wino's Sonadora, but based on this experience they have an intriguing mixture of refreshing acidity on the tongue and floral aromas in the nose. I'm looking forward to trying out some more of these summery white wines, and have already put together a shopping list based on K&L Wines' good selection of bottlings between $9.99 and $22.99. The 2004 and 2005 Lusco Albarinos sound particularly yummy.

Check out Gabriella's round-up of the rose experience, and her tips for the albarino tasting, by clicking here. The forum is already hopping with comments, give-and-take and feedback so head over there soon to record your impressions about this varietal and to take away a list of suggested wines to keep in pocket and purse for your wine shopping expeditions this month.

When Reds are Green

When you think red wine you typically think of warm red fruits, warm red spices, and warm red aromas.

But sometimes, red wines are green. And what's more, they're supposed to be. (photo by Ian Britton from FreeFoto.com) Take cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. The varietal characteristics of both of these wines indicate that some green bell pepper, asparagus, and herbal notes are to be expected. Of course, if you let them ripen to their maximum capacity in hot vineyards, much of the green vegetativeness of the varietals will simply cook off. Often, oak barrels take care of any last vestiges of these flavors especially in the New World where fruit-forward wines are not only common, they are preferred by many drinkers.

If you drink mainly New World wines, these vegetal flavors in red wines can come as something of a surprise--and not necessarily a pleasant surprise, either. Too many vegetal red Bordeaux led Parker to start the The Wine Advocate in order to ferret out the green from the red since he felt the green wines were under-ripe.

Recently, I had a green red, the 2004 Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny ($7.99/375 ml, Mission Wines; 750 ml from other merchants for under $15) In this wine, the red fruits are a minor player, accompanied by vegetal and herbal notes in both the aroma and the palate. Decanting for an hour helped the fruit come forward a bit, which indicates that this wine may become more fruity over time, and it also helped to take the herbal notes and make them more intriguing and less overpowering. If you buy this wine, I would recommend keeping it for another year, or decanting it for 2-3 hours, or both. And food really helped to manage the assertive green flavors, so I would recommend that you serve it with something red and green, like rosemary marinated steak or pepper steak with lots of peppers.

This was certainly not as round and lush as the 2003 vintage of this wine that Brooklynguy had recently, and not as fun and inviting as the Vinum "Scrapper" Cabernet Franc I tasted a the Family Winemakers. And if you're not a CabFranc fan, this isn't the wine for trying the varietal out. Though I wasn't a huge fan of this wine, and its flavors weren't as integrated as they should have been, with its strong varietal characteristics it still represents good QPR. And if you've not tasted a green, old world wine, or have ever wondered why Parker loves his jammy, extracted fruits, this would be a good wine to try just to see what all the fuss is about.