Posted on 05/24/2013 11:32:21 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Three months ago, Mira Winery in Napa embarked on a grand experiment: It lowered 48 bottles of its 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon into the ocean outside Charleston, S.C. in a custom-built cage to see what aging in the sea would do to the wine's flavor. On Tuesday, the bottles were retrieved and tasted. The differences between the wine aged in the ocean and the wine aged in the regular process are "incredible," according to Gutavo Gonzalez, Mira winemaker.
Both were fruit-forward and jammy, as would be expected from a new wine, but the vino in the ocean-aged bottles had loosened up and relaxed much more than he expected after just three months. Possible causes floated by Gonzales and Patrick Emerson, an advanced sommelier who also tasted the wine, include the ocean's relatively stable temperature, lack of light, and the rocking motion of the waves.
"I'm perplexed and amazed at how quickly these wines have sort of taken two different paths. Both are delightful to drink. I can tell they're the same wine, but it's almost like there has been some magic happened in the aquaoir," Emerson said in a press conference yesterday.
Mira plans to sell twelve bottles of the wine to Wine Club Members beginning June 1 on a first-come, first-serve basis. But there will be more: In the fall, the winery plans to continue the experiment by placing eight cases of wine in the water for six months.
Ocean water is considered living water (mayim chayim) by the rabbis.
Maybe the life force in the water did it!
Next we’ll be seeing “ocean aged” wine for sale on store shelves.
It’s true, I’ve had an occasion to try it. The wine’s tastes a bit salty, though.
James May and Oz Clark need to weigh in.
If the wine is made in Napa, why did they have to go all the way to SC to put it in the ocean? Wasn’t the Pacific good enough for them?
Though there may be a difference, I consider this to be basically a publicity stunt, like Harley Davidson trying to patent the potato-potato sound or Makers mark reducing their alcohol content slightly to increase production.
The two examples worked remarkably well. And this company got their name out there effectively with this.
Wonder if we lowered Libs into the ocean for three months if there would be incredible differences.
An electromagnetic field might also be in play.
“James May and Oz Clark need to weigh in.”
I was thinking that Penn & Teller need to weigh in with another episode of “Bulls**t!”
Constant temperature?
The Norwegians age Akavit by putting it into casks then keeping it in the hold of a cargo ship for 1 year. Again, constant temperature.
Why the Atlantic?
And of couse it will be a bit more expensive.
I’m going to guess that the higher ambient temperature of the Gulfstream was thought to be kinder to the goods that the typically much colder Pacific.
Please don’t take this as a slam against this post it is meant as a comment on wine reviews in general. No offense intended.
Reading reviews about wine is like reading an art or movie or play critic’s review and attempting to make any logical connection between the words used and the subject.
Jammy? Sure, OK, I can understand that and imagine the taste.
However:
Fruit-forward??? WTH is the chemical formula for producing Fruit-forward and just what have they failed to convey to a normal human being assuming they are describing a taste. Does this contribute to glo-bull warming/cooling.
Relaxed?? Again, just what chemical formula produces relaxed and what does that do to ones tongue?
I get the impression they are just attempting to impress a limited few snobs who would not dare to dispute the Relaxed taste or if the Fruit was forward or reverse.
Under full disclosure I have to admit to committing the ultimate Wine Faux Pas in France a few years back where the buss boy at our table nearly went spastic when we were willing to try a Wine which had just been released to the market and was suggested by our waiter.
He went ballistic because we were having fish and it was a red wine. Oh the humanity. You would have though we were mixing matter and anti-matter and I am not exaggerating.
I love the fact that the waiter recommended it, but it was the bus boy who got furious. Only in France. Was he mad at the waiter or you?
It’s just the jargon people use to make outsiders think something is complicated or special to be able to charge more. Avoidng plain English impresses some people.
Well, like you, no offense intended, but just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s not legit. Folks in the wine industry or who are avid consumers know what these terms mean. I may not understand what a lot of terms used, say, in tree pruning or book binding or basket weaving mean, but that doesn’t mean the terms are meaningless to those who need to use them.
And second, there are plenty of times red wine is great with fish. Depends on the wine, the fish and how its prepared. You decide what you like, there are no rules that must be followed or else. And that’s probably a reason the guy was still a bus boy and not waiter.
I’m partial to the south Pacific myself.
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