When in Rome…
Posted In Beer
So after the past few weeks of beer tasting (Tap and Table’s “Saisonathon”, first visit to Liberty St. Tavern in Allentown where goblets of Hop 15 and St. Bernardus Apt 12 go for $6, the Monks (er… Belgian Café) and Captain Lawrence dinner), I took a few hours of downtime in the form of a wine tour. Let me start by saying I’m not a whino. I’ve made the effort many times, trying all sorts of wines that true to the French language do not involve pronouncing the last syllable of the name, and I know there are fewer foodie places that offer good beer than a supposedly decent wine for some stupid stigma, but I’ve yet to find a wine that I enjoy anywhere near as much as most of the beers I try. Remember, I only drink micros… However, a work function offered a tour of the wine cellar at Restaurant Latour at the Crystal Springs Resort in NJ. This isn’t some small little wine “cooler.” It’s the largest wine cellar in the US and 2nd largest in the world. A nondescript door opens to a spiral staircase taking you into seven underground stonewalled and cedar lined climate controlled rooms where more than 64,000 bottles of wine are offered to diners with more than 200 wines that have received perfect 100 point scores from top wine critics. There are two private dining and tasting rooms which can be rented for parties. And yes, I got cheese with my wine.
Boring details aside, the guys running this place aren’t just connoisseurs- they are mad scientists of the grape world. The sommelier told us about particular vintages of wine that have been sold as many as 10 times the number of bottles that were ever produced. With that in mind, they created a wine verification machine (NMR), sort of an MRI for wine that verifies the authenticity of the wine they buy. This process can be completed without uncorking or damaging the bottle. First, they check the paper as the composition of paper has changed over the years and it’s easy to identify a newer label. Then they examine the cork for fingerprints. Since fingerprints only last 40-50 years, any bottles presented as older than that but with fingerprints detected can be assumed to have been recorked. Last, they actually authenticate the quality of fine wine with regards to oxidation and maderization (air and heat issues) and can even provide a timeline to sell or drink it, so you aren’t left with a bottle of expensive vinegar! This machine is one of a kind and the sommelier said due to it, they send back about 55% of the wines they purchase from auctions either due to them being fakes or not in great tasting condition.
I conclude wine is “complexy simple.” It’s made from grapes- some red, some white, one press or more, and the age of the vine, soil, and the climate that year is what actually provides the flavor, not the “recipe” of the wine maker. I sampled a few but none dazzled me too much. Perhaps I’m just not up for drinking something that begets holding my pinky finger up and having a nitrate headache the next morning.