Corkiness and soft corks

[Randy Caparoso]

Okay, I'll grant you that it's an incorrect use of words on my part, foodie. I should not use the word "clean," especially when all I'm trying to say is "careful."

But look at it this way: You say that control of TCA is pretty much out of winemakers' hands. Has little to do with exacting choice of cork sources and hygienic practices in the winery. Yet just the fact that corkiness is so rare for a house like Moet & Chandon (and for all of the major Champagne producers, for that matter) proves that much of this problem can, and has been, controlled by extremely careful (not "clean"!) methods of wine production. And of course, this is not to say that TCA-affected corks are "dirty." But only that an ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure.