Screw caps or cork?

Screw cap or cork? The long debate that many are not knowledgeable about, which was apparent to me when I used to work in retail. I would have folks ask for a recommendation and if I would bring them over to a screw cap they would ask for something that had a cork. No other reason than they felt that they would look cheap at a party or they wanted to go through the motion of pulling a cork. I can understand enjoying pull the cork out of the bottle because I like the process myself, but if anyone looked at me cheaply because I bought a screw cap I couldn't help but laugh for their ignorance. 

The problem with corks is that about 5% of wines, give or take, are ruined due to the wine being “corked”. You will know it when it happens. It can be described as if smelling a wet dog or it has a moldy, musty smell. I'm sure many of you don't enjoy that nor would you want to drink something that smells like that. This is caused by TCA, trichloroanisole, which is a reaction between molds and the chemicals used in the cork production.

Screw caps first boomed in New Zealand and many Australian producers have adopted using it as well. A lot of the Old World countries are slow to adopt the transition of some of their wines to screw caps like Italy and France. Screw caps provide freshness to the wine without ruining it due to any oxidation or being “corked”. There is a question whether some of the long-term aging wines will develop in the bottle and grow with age using this method. Another benefit to bottles with screw caps is that you can keep the bottle upright, on its side, upside down, whichever way you want where with corks it must be at least on it's side for the wine to come in contact with the cork or else the cork will begin to dry and air will seep in oxidizing the wine.

There is another option of replacing corks instead of the screw cap and that is synthetic corks made from plastic. If I had to choose these over corks though I would go with corks because synthetics aren't proving to be solving the problem either as oxidation can slowly take place with these, therefore, if you wanted to age this wine at all it's not reliable.

I think as the years go on and as more and more producers begin to introduce their wines with a screw cap people are getting to understand the benefits to it, but I think we still have a ways to go with the general public.

A great Falanghina from Feudi di San Gregorio

Italy has hundreds of grape varietals, which the majority of them many won't know. The varietal I'm writing about today comes from southern Italy and is called Falanghina. Falanghina is a white varietal typically coming out of the coastal areas slightly north of Naples including Naples and the Amalfi coast. It can be blended with a variety of grapes depending on the producer. Recently I enjoyed Falanghina from a highly regarded producer, Feudi di San Gregorio, located in Campania. 

Feudi di San Gregorio has been in business since 1986 in Campania, in particular Sorbo Serpico in the Irpinia region part of the Avellino province. I also have to note that one side of family is from Avellino, including many folks in the Boston area. Feudi started off with 30 hectares and have grown to over 300. The terroir here is very unique due to the volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius nearby. 

Avellino, Campania

In addition to Falanghina, Feudi produces other great wines including Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, Taurasi and Fiano. A lot of whites in Italy tend to be drier including this one, but it has some nice floral notes with some pineapple hints on the palate. It was aged 5 months in stainless steel tanks. 

This bottle will run you about $12 to $15 so if you're looking for something to replace your typical Pinot Grigio challenge yourself to try something new and grab a bottle of this. 

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The process of how to make homemade wine

One of the things I have yet had the time to do, but am very interested in is homemade wine. Definitely a fun and interesting hobby and something you can experiment with and fine tune over time. I have taken a wine making class locally at the Beer & Wine Hobby shop in Woburn, MA and it's a great place to learn, get the basics and get all your supplies including the juice itself. Plus, how great is it to go to a holiday party this time of year and pop open your own wine than buying one off the shelves? It's a great conversation starter!

For home wine making enthusiasts, fall is the time to begin making a fresh supply of homemade wine to get you through the upcoming winter (New England especially).  One of my good friends shared with me the process that he takes part in every year with his in-laws of Italian descent that taught him the ropes. This is the process that he goes through, but I'm sure everyone's process differs slightly.

Be prepared to invest as least two full afternoons to the process, plus you will need to occasionally check on the wine and transfer it to a new container to rid it of sediment. The start-up cost can be quite high if you don’t have the necessary equipment.  If you don’t, I’d suggest asking around to see if there are any clubs you might join or places that will let you utilize their equipment.   

There are numerous places locally that sell a wide variety of wine grapes and/or grape juice.   My friend has traditionally frequented wholesalers at the Chelsea & Everett fruit market.  Grapes typically begin arriving in mid-September through the end of October.  While the majority of grapes are sourced from California, you can also find a number imported from overseas markets including Italy.  Just as a good chef seeks out the freshest ingredients make sure to shop around in search of the best quality grapes.  

Determining which varietal of grapes to purchase is a personal decision.  When purchasing grapes, pay attention to how the grapes look - - do they appear fresh?; is the skin firm?; or does it give?; are there signs of premature rot? - -and feel free to ask questions of the seller.  It may help to break off one or two and taste for quality.  Wine grapes are typically sold in 35lb wooden crates.  On average 15lbs of grapes will yield about 1 gallon of wine, though this varies depending on how much juice you press out of them.  If this is your first time you may want to start off small. 

Once you buy your grapes, the first thing you want to do is crush them requiring a crusher & destemmer.  You’ll need something to store your crushed grapes.  The cheapest option is to use 5 gallon plastic trash cans.  Crushing the grapes allows the fermentation process to start.  You can let this process happen naturally or once you're more experienced you can check PH levels or add yeast.   

Once you finish crushing the grapes, take some stirring device and  turn over the mixture a few times.  One very important point to note:  it’s crucial that you turnover the mixture at least once, though preferably twice, each day in the intervening week. My friend lets the crushed mixture rest for a week before pressing them. 

Pressing the grapes is a lot of work, but makes for a social occasion.  You will need access to a press for this important step.  My friend typically presses each load of grapes twice to ensure he's extracting as much juice as possible.  The juice from the press falls into a bucket positioned underneath the press and is then transferred into a 5 gallon glass or 9 gallon containers for aging/storage.  You can place a screen in the funnel to filter out any leftover debris from the pressing process.  Ensure each storage vessel is filled up to the neck and properly sealed using a rubber stopper.  Store in a dark, cool location and ensure it is away from any heat source. 

After about 6 weeks, you will want to transfer your wine.  You will want to do a second transfer, but typically wait 8+ weeks to do this.  Usually the wine is drinkable around Christmas, but really hits its peak around Easter.  By summer, most homemade wines start to turn, though it’s still possible to have a great tasting homemade wine a year later. 

There’s no true right or wrong way to go about making homemade wine.  Provided you follow the basic steps, you should be able to easily create a pleasing homemade wine.  Note, if white wine is your thing, worry not.  The primary difference in the process is that you simply combine the crushing and pressing process into one long day as you do not want the juice to begin fermenting on its skins as you would with a red wine. 

It’s a great activity to pass the time on a fall weekend with a group of close family and friends and as mentioned above you could be enjoying a bottle now for the holidays!

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