Discussing Cork vs. Screwcaps during a Grab Bag Wine Tasting

Discussing Cork vs. Screwcaps during a Grab Bag Wine Tasting – Episode #654

April 7, 2009

Gary Vaynerchuk and Liza “The Wine Chick” Zimmerman taste 3 totally different wines and debate the relative merits of cork and screwcap enclosures.

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Comments on this episode(254) Leave a comment ›

“GV, I really find it hard to believe that screwtop wines flavors are g…” by eharms
“I enjoy the show, and Gary’s always very entertaining. I love the Pet…” by Ben
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Mythic River Sauv BlancGreek White Wine
2006 Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing Shiraz/ CabernetAustralian Red Meritage
2007 Descendientes De Jose Palacios Bierzo PetalosBierzo

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

254 Responses

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April 7, 2009

J dubs
Great episode… so often guests are disarmed by your personality or they are intimidated by you… when that happens they turtle up a bit. Liza was an exception. I thought the banter was great, but the constant lauding of Portuguese wines was a bit much (though i agree with you i love the honesty) I wonder if anyone else would agree that she was some what the anti-Gary and i mean no disrespect in saying that. She just seems to have some very strong regional leanings that would cloud her objectivity. Again she was awesome, and you were as well sir…. These jerk-off’s are all gonna google it… so funny.
One last thought for Liza… Prostelitizing (in religion, wine, etc…) generally turns me off as it does many people… your desire for Portuguese wine to be accepted makes me think of the Swingers effect… for years someone tells you how unequivocally awesome a movie is then you see it and your like “Yeah what ever it was OK” I agree we probably over look Portugal but… the fact the wines there are good doesn’t make other wines bad… I might be a little over the top here but this was my honest reaction… again i want to stress i thought Liza was F*#@ing badass!
April 7, 2009

Josh S
Great show, enjoyed the corked discussion. Now I’m thinking any wine with a cork is Wonderbra wine – not sure what I am going to get when I open it. Kind of like opening that present under the tree and and hoping its not a Giants jersey….

Guest was okay, glad she had her own opinions and held firm.

QOTD: I had no clue until I red a few comments.

PS. Big belated ups on the book deal – I think the wine world just heard some thunder!
April 7, 2009

Mary Ann
That was a really interesting & entertaining episode! You two had fun banter.
April 7, 2009

Big Al Evans
I had the 2005 vintage of the bleasdale Langehorne Crossing Shiraz/cabernet at atomica restaurant in Kingston Ontario a few weeks ago, and thought it was FANTASTIC with a spicy pizza (hot peppers, salami calabrese). One of those blow your mind wine moments. I later tried it by itself and although it was still very enjoyable, I wasn’t blown away like I was when it was paired properly, so your bang on with your assertion that it would go well with pizza. I also agree with Chilemily, time for a Chilean episode, I can’t even remember the last time you mentioned a Chilean wine, let alone tasted one.
April 7, 2009

Chris in Tulsa
Good show. Strongly disagree about other countries such as Greece or Germany needing to make wines with friendlier labels. Maybe for the mass production kinda wines but I love the uniqueness of the different wines of other countries! I hate catchy labels! Wanna know that I am getting the real deal and not just another wine aimed at the American market.
April 7, 2009

Richard Ritter
Love…hate…love…hate…she blinks a lot and dosen’t like to play, but Liza was a very real and honest guest, and I appreciate that.
I can’t believe you gave away your ultra secret ninja wine buying negotiating tactics on the show.

QOTD: Most of the people who posted before me got the answer so I didn’t even have to Google search at all. I’m happy Liza was prepared for the QOTD, but an open to interpretation question works best.
April 7, 2009

CPal
Very good guest!
April 7, 2009

Lurker
Amarula…not sure on the spelling…great after din drink.
April 7, 2009

pawncop
Good show and good guest, she pretty well held her own. Good to see.

QOTD – no clue but will look it up.
April 7, 2009

Ryan Neal
Hello all my thoughts on screw top are if they change to screw top there is going to be a lot of people doing mods to there cellar…..
KEEP THE CORKSS….
April 7, 2009

AaronB
Good episode! I like how she wasn’t afraid to disagree with you, unlike a lot of your guests.

QOTD: The thing about elephants getting drunk from marula is actually a myth. See
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/499983?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dncbi.nlm.nih.gov
April 7, 2009

brendan
Gosh that Amorim are good at giving people the touch up.
Cork is history. It’s not just TCA but random oxidation too amongst other problems.
Remember that saying “there’s no such thing as a good old wine just great old bottles” . that was the cork doing that.
Australia started with screwcaps in the early 70’s with Pewsey Vale Riesling. The public didn’t take too it so they stopped it. I’ve tasted those wines at 25 years old and they’ve certainly developed, but slowly and consistently into beautiful wines while their contempories under cork are long since dead.
And don’t give me the romance thing. I didn’t feel romanced when a bottle of Cheval Blanc came up stinking of TCA. I just felt devastated and considerably poorer.
And if 1,2 3 or 10% of your product is faulty because of the seal do you think your milk or soda supplier would continue using it?
There has been extensive studies made in Australia. Here’s a link to a good article. http://www.eldridge-estate.com.au/screwed.htm
April 7, 2009

Reese
Great show – i get more, from an educational standpoint (which is a big part of why I watch) when you have a guest and have that interplay. You clearly start talking differently. Like being in the huddle of a a good coaches team, instead of taking the ‘rookie’ course.

More guests that can hang, more interesting, topical debates.

Good times…
April 7, 2009

Martin Oliver
Gary,

Love your show, I have been watching it since November of 2008, now I am hooked. I had lots of fun watching the beacon pairing show, good idea. One of my co-workers came across Biodynamic vineyards, specificly Bonny Doon – Santa Cruz. Gary how about doing a show specifc to Biodynamic certified wines, I hear there are alot to choose from? My “Question of the Day” is what are your thoughts on the Bonny Doon brand?

Martin from Southern California
April 7, 2009

Terence Fox
Good show, the guests always liven it up. I don’t like how Zimmerman has so many preconceptions about regions. If there are a “lot of exceptions” to an opinion you have about a region, doesn’t that tell you that maybe regions are too complex and multifaceted to base opinions about wine on?

But I have much appreciation for her being honest and making a case for her viewpoint on wine, and she’s a good critic for that. I can get value out of her writing whether or not our viewpoints are the same because she’s upfront about it.

QOTD: Something weird probably. Litchi?
April 7, 2009

pepel
great ep! I liked the corked debate and am going to side with CORK. on another note, found myself goign back some episodes and only now discovered sir gary vaynerchuk when i searched for sancerre – excited to see him come back for a guest appearance one of these days.

qotd: strawberry tree
April 7, 2009

J Mize
QOTD: Amarula, also called the elephant tree!
Great discussion about corks and screwcaps!
April 7, 2009

David Dadekian
QOTD: Yeah, unfortunately it’s a real easy Google to get to Marula fruit. That’s progress!

Great debate this episode, I enjoyed that very much. Thanks.
April 7, 2009

coth in MKE
Now…this, is a good guest!

I will never get enough of industry talk.

I loved the guest, especially her honesty, but I agree with you about the cork percentage. I work in a restaurant that sells at least a hundred or so “cases” a year of cork sealed wine. We maybe send back to the distributors six “bottles” in that same time. If ever it is more, it’s coming from the same item. Which is not necessarily the cork so much as the distribution and storage through the importing. I agree further that screw tops have the pole position in protecting wine anywhere on this planet that wine is consumed in the first few years.
April 7, 2009

A dumb Rhine king
Did you just call me a jerk-off jack-off?

I love the cork debate. There was a bit of editing in there, you must have said something really bad.

As a consumer who has never had a “corked” bottle (bacteria, TCA, etc) pointed out to me, I can’t ever truly say that I’ve ever had a corked bottle. What would be interesting is if there were a line of wines that you could buy which were corked or have another flaw (for a very, very, very reduced cost). Imagine if wineries made that available. Granted special measures would have to be made to produce these off wines, but it would give a whole new world of information to the average consumer which would help with the negative mystery of wine.

QOTD: I had over 60 of my “jerk-off” peeps to already tell me that it is Marula.
April 7, 2009

Dr. Horowitz
Bee Guy!!! “Ay yay yay! Naranjas en la cabeza!”
April 7, 2009

Christopher Scoggin
Glad to see the interview format back. And a knowledgeable one on top! Nice random selection of wines. I added the Bleasdale to my list of wines to try.

QOTD: Without doing a Google search… First gut guess would be banana but I honestly have no idea
April 7, 2009

Doc P
Loved the debate. I have no preference, but i do like pulling corks
QOTD: I have no idea. I am not an elephant and I don’t really care for liquers
April 7, 2009

BrandonP
I enjoyed the guest, she seemed knowledgable about wine. This show makes me want to drink some portugese wines.
April 7, 2009

Jade from Portland
Good show. I enjoyed the discussion about cork vs. screwtops, though i did get a little lost in the thick of it. The guest kept up with your energy level and good rapport between you two. But, GV: keep working on polishing your interview style. Still interrupting too much. We want to hear the guests finish their sentences.