The Uncorking Ritual

[quijote]

Gosh, I'm full of questions tonight, but they've been on my mind for a while.

I don't know if other people here feel the same way I do, and perhaps this merely speaks to my basic level of wine savvy, but does anyone else both look toward the Restaurant Uncorking Ritual with both anticipation and dread?

I ask because, even though the prospect of good wine is always welcome, I rarely know how to deal with the ritual: the presentation of the bottle; the time spent staring at the waiter (rarely a sommelier) trying to uncork the bottle; to sniff the cork or not?; the look, smell, and taste of the wine; the response to "go ahead" and pour.

I'm always self-conscious about these steps of the ritual, largely because I'm not at a point in my relationship to wine where I can sniff the cork (or examine the label, etc.)and make a meaningful judgment. I'm willing to bet that most of the rest of the customers in these restaurants and wine bars are in similar stages in their development.

So how do I deal with the ritual in order to make it meaningful, and without being pretentious (making it seem like I know more than I really do)?

Perhaps another thread here has addressed this issue?

[Kcwhippet]

It's fairly simple. Look at the bottle to make sure it's actually the wine, and the year, you ordered. Forget the cork, it won't tell you anything, unless it's totally soaked or crumbling. The restaurant employee should pour about an ounce, and then you swirl the glass to release some of the volatile esters. Sniff it to make sure it smells like wine, not a mass of wet cardboard. Sip a little bit and swirl it around your mouth. If it tastes like wine and not like licking a sweaty horse, then let the person go ahead and pour for the rest of your party.

[Thomas]

After a few years of doing what Kc recommends, you might get to the point I have reached during the ritual. I sniff the wine and forego tasting it, the idea being that I am expereinced enough to know from sniffing if there is anything wrong with the wine, and if I checked the label beforehand, it should be what I ordered--no reason to sip, prolonging the ritual and have the waiter stand over me with the look of a scared child hoping not to be called on by the teacher.

I also abhor the ritual of the waiter racing over to my table to pour the wine for me as much as I dislike it when the waiter pours the first glass and then takes the bottle away. But then, my wife says I am quite grouchy in my dotage...

[winoweenie]

And an insightful and wise woman is she. ww [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Auburnwine]

And what will the waiter's role be when we get screw-tops?

Wonder if it will have an impact on tipping.

[ShortWiner]

I hate it when waiters refill the glasses too. I've ordered the wine--I'd like to refill my wife's or my friend's glass! That's part of the fun for me.

Quijote, you'll get more used to the ritual with practice. I often enjoy it now to some extent, though I used to feel terribly awkward--especially during that waiting part. Conversation at the table inevitably dies with the waiter standing there. It's one of those times when you appreciate someone who knows what he or she is doing and can extract a cork quickly and smoothly.

edit: Auburn, I actually had a screwtop in a restaurant a few months ago (brought the bottle with me). I can tell you, it was anticlimactic.

[This message has been edited by ShortWiner (edited 02-06-2003).]

[hotwine]

I also prefer to simply sniff the wine, but have found that all too often, the only way to get the waiter to proceed with pouring is to take a sip. But I do carefully inspect the cork for any sign of leakage, rub it between thumb and forefinger to detect mold penetration, and sniff it, again for any indication of horse sweat or wet cardboard. Having inspected the cork and sniffed the wine, I'm ready for the waiter to get on with it and pour the first glass (but only half-full, thank you. Can't stand a waiter who fills a wine glass to the brim. And never hesitate to correct him.).

[joeyz6]

Three years of fascination with wine, countless books, magazine articles and web sites consulted, 275 posts here, and I'm still asking basic questions on the novice thread. Sigh.

Anyways, on this topic of checking for bad bottles ... if the wine smells a little funny right after it's opened, but then the odors improve considerably after an hour or so of decanting, is the wine still corked? I've noticed this a couple of times recently, always with a fairly young red (2000 or 2001). Initially, I thought, 'uh oh,' but then I let it sit out for an hour, and normal wine smells started to emerge. Should I have dumped them from the outset?

[Thomas]

Joeyz, if a wine is cork tainted it does not get any better over time--only worse.

[joeyz6]

So those bottles probably weren't tainted then, I imagine. They tasted fine after an hour.

[hotwine]

You're probably smelling what's normally referred to as "barnyard", which is normal, especially with French and Spanish wines, and usually dissipates with aeration. On the other hand, cork taint from TCA has a rotten smell, IMO, and aeration doesn't help that condition at all.

BTW, when I said I look for mold penetration of the cork, that's more than superficial mold. In fact, I LIKE to see mold on the top of the cork, directly under the foil capsule.... but not down the sides of the cork... that represents penetration, and can be damaging to the wine.

[joeyz6]

Thanks, hotwine. What exactly is "barnyard"? Just an unpleasant odor that is produced by red wine?

[Kcwhippet]

Barnyard = cow dung?

Indeed, what is barnyard? Had a 29 Ch. Lafite recently. A few others described it as "earthy", "woodsy" and 'barnyard". To me, it tasted like dirt.

[Drew]

Joey, I find that a lot of French wines, in Particular, the Southern Rhones, CDP et all, often display a nose of barnyard, brett, poop and many other descriptive terms. I find this style to my liking and think it adds to the experience. I just don't want the wine to taste like that! These "funky" wines often pair well with roasted meats, stews and like dishes that display earthy flavors, esp. those prepared with mushrooms.

Drew

[Thomas]

There is a bacteria that causes barnyard odors. In many cases, the bacteria is in check and so it does not become too offensive; in fact, the barnyard smell sometimes dissipates with oxygen. But then, there are times when the bacteria is overwhelmingly powerful making the wine no longer acceptable (at least to me).

I cannot spell the bacteria offhand, and do not have my handy book nearby, it is--phonetically--bretanimyacin, or known as just plain "bret."

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 02-07-2003).]

[hotwine]

I think Drew has tagged it pretty well. "Barnyard" is a funkiness on the nose that suggests the wine's terroir, so it's something I expect with wines from particular regions.... but it's not a characteristic that I want to show up on the palate.

[Duane Meissner]

So who was the unlucky guy here voted to go lick a sweaty horse? [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

DM

[hotwine]

Don't need to lick it to get the full effect, just sit one a spell.