Today’s question was sent in from Pierre from Versailles (France) who asks “Can we offer a second chance to corked wines, for cooking or making your own vinegar?”.
Video sum up: Can we offer a second chance to a corked wines?
The answer is NO. Once a wine is corked it is forever gone.
There is nothing you can do about it and with it. Corked wine is a wine which has been contamined by a vegetal component called TCA.
There is a rule with wine in cooking which is: never cook with a wine you would not drink yourself because it will convey negative flavors.
It is the same thing for vinegar. You should not do vinegar with corked wine.
The best wines can be corked even if you store them properly.
A ‘Corked’ wine is a wine that has been bottled with a cork that is contaminated with TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole). TCA contamination usually comes from corks but can also come from barrels, other cooperage or even, apparently, from wood within the cellar including walls or beams. The term ‘corked wine’ is applied to all wines with TCA contamination because corks are the souce of most of the problems. The wine industry estimates that as many as 3% to 7% of all wines have TCA contamination at levels that can be detected by consumers. Because most people are not trained to recognize the smell and taste of TCA, only a very small fraction of these bad bottles are ever returned to stores or sent back at a restaurant.
[...] TCA does not pose a health risk (at least in the levels found in wines). It just imparts the aromas and flavors that are objectionable when found in sufficient quantity. Many wines have levels of TCA that are below the threshold of perception. Wine is not the only place you can find TCA. It is also found in some municipal water supplies as well as in some teas.
Today’s question was sent in from Candida from Queens (New York) who asks “Is there a specific etiquette I should follow when a bottle is brought to my table in a restaurant?”.
Video sum up: Is there a specific etiquette I should follow when a bottle is brought to my table in a restaurant?
The answer is NO.
The etiquette in the process is going to be dictated or presented to you by the restaurant.
Jeremy who has some background in this (server in a 3 stars restaurant in NY) recommands you:
to look at the bottle when the server brought you the bottle (to make sure it is the wine you ordered)
ask the server if you have any question about the price of the bottle
taste the wine if you feel confortable with it when the server asks you or otherwise just say no
Actually you have no other responsabilities except to enjoy the wine and drink it!
Today’s question was sent in by Leroy from New Canaan CT who asks “What are the best vintages for Bordeaux?”.
Video sum up: What are the best vintages for Bordeaux?
There are many best vintages. The most recent ones are 2005 and 2000. Going back further 1995, 1990, 1989, 1982, 1961 were exceptionnal.
A great vintages is when mother nature cooperates and produces a warm, dry fall that allows the grape to mature on the vine.
Finally use these exceptionnal years as a guide. If you are lucky enough to taste an exceptionnal vintage take a picture of you and the bottle and enjoy the wine. Otherwise keep in mind that good producers manage to produce consitently good wines every year and that exceptionnal years have also a lot to do with marketing (remember 2000 was the vintage of the century, 2005 was then the vintage of the century…)
Today’s question is from Marc in Glenville CT who asks “How to detect fraudulent wines?”.
Video sum up: How to detect fraudulent wines?
It is very difficult to tell whether or not a wine is fraudulent.
If you are buying mass production wines, don’t worry too much.
However if you are buying expensive and rare wines only buy them from reputable suppliers that you trust.
There is another kind of fraud, for example when a winemaker is using a grape they don’t have the right to use or is adding some substances to change the taste.
