To Cork or Not to Cork? A Vigneron in Provence Looks to the Future

 
This week we have a treat for you: a guest post by Jean-Marc Espinasse,  vigneron of Domaine Rouge-Bleu in Provence.  Uncork (unscrew?) a bottle of wine, pour yourself a glass, and settle in for an interesting read from a  French wine-grower on the cutting edge.

First up, his bio: I fell in love with wine when my uncle decided to get, 20 years ago, three vine parcels in Chateauneuf-du-Pape to re-create the family vineyard, Domaine du Banneret, which originally dates back from many centuries. As a CPA, I initially made the financial plans for the loans and participated in the first and and all harvests. It was during this joyful epoch that I met with my future American wife, Kristin, author of the blog French Word A Day. I then started then to offer my uncle's wines to US importers and decided to quit numbers to embrace the wine world. Now, besides Domaine du Banneret, I distribute a portfolio of "boutique" french wines to US importers.

 In my dreams, I have often imagined that running a small vineyard just by myself would actually be a realistic project. And whereas I was not expecting it to happen, I was offered in November 2006, 25 acres of old vines with a great potential "terroir". Domaine Rouge-Bleu was born...

4 years after, we sell out our entire production, mostly to the US and to the high end distribution side. Besides wine, I am in love with Mother Nature, U2 band and before all my Dear family.

Lately, you may be asking yourself why screw caps and synthetic corks have replaced some of the natural corks in bottled wine. In fact, there are many reasons :

The most obvious reason for this is the elimination of the taste that cork can bring to wine ["cork taint"] which is so frustrating, particularly when the bottle is a special one.

Another explanation comes from the fact that world production of natural cork is limited, especially these last years, as Portugal, which is the leading producer, has been ravaged by fires that have destroyed a great part of these cork oak trees.

At the same time, world production of wines has not ceased to grow with the arrival of wines from the new world (North America, Chile, Australia, South Africa...and now India and China). So it was necessary to find other solutions for sealing bottles of wine.

But the main reason comes from the actual utility of the cork. Originally, it permitted not only closure of the bottle but also for the wine to be in slight contact with the air, and therefore age slowly and in the best conditions. It should be noted that in the past (up until the 80's), wines were made to age a few years before being appreciated at their best behavior. The natural cork, therefore, had its usefulness.

Today, wine consumption habits have greatly changed. We buy wine at 7 PM and drink it at 7:30 PM. If that's not such a typical scenario, then one should simply note that wines are quickly consumed. And for this, they must be made in such a way that enables them to be appreciated young. These wines are less concentrated, more fragile regarding oxidation and won't get better with aging. Plastic corks or even better screw caps which are almost hermetic, permit these wines to keep their freshness and fruity taste and will also better protect them from oxidation which might degrade them. Of course, this reasoning is not to be used for great wines (ones which should be aged) which continue to be sealed with real cork as they do have the ability to breathe and let the wine evolve throughout the years. That is actually why very old bottles need to have their cork replaced and, at the same time to be filled up with the little wine which went to angels through the cork.

Plastic cork enables marketing, which has become so important in commercial aspects, to express itself, notably by the range of colors and by a personal logo which is easier to create on the plastic cork.

But for people who care about environment, plastic is not always well seen (even if it recycles easily) and that is why the screw cap is now the closure system which has developed the most. One of the issue with screw caps is that it was often associated with cheap wines. But this is now over as some of the most prestigious vineyards, in New Zealand first and now even in Alsace, use this system to bottle 100 US $ bottles of wine.

Now, if you have plastic-corked bottles hanging around your cellar, hurry up and drink them fast without scruples...

Cheers,

Jean-Marc Espinasse

"PS tip" : Sometimes it is not easy to know if a wine is corked. If you have a doubt, pour a little amount of the questioned wine in a glass and add the same amount of water in the same glass. Compare the "flavors” with a glass of 100ml of the questioned wine. If the wine is corked, the cork "flavor" will explode in the wine-water sample. If it is not corked, this scent will disappear in the wine-water sample and you will just need to aerate the wine in a carafe for a while before drinking it.

Don’t miss the blogs and bottles at Jean-Marc’s Domaine Rouge-Bleu, and his wife Kristin’s French-Word a Day blog.

And now, cozy up with a bottle  of Rouge-Bleu and a steaming pot roast with red wine that will do it justice.

 

RECIPE:  Burgundy Pot Roast

This recipe is my cross between an American-style pot roast and Boeuf Bourguignon. It’s not essential but nice to cook it a day or two ahead so the flavors can blend. It freezes well too.  If your pot won’t go in the oven, you can cook it on top of the stove.

Serves 4-6.

• Vegetable oil
• A 2 pound (.9 kg) rolled chuck roast
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice (28oz, 800gr)
• ¼ cup wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 ½ cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth, or water
• 1 pound (.45 kg) carrots, sliced 3/4” thick
• 1 pound (.45kg) small red potatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with a bit of cold water

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (175C).  Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy, ovenproof pot, brown it in the oil over medium high heat on all sides, then remove from pan.  To the pan add onions and celery, cook about 5 minutes and add garlic for one more minute, stirring. Stir in nremaining ingredients except for carrots and potatoes, bring to boil, and put the beef back in. 

Put pot in oven, covered, and cook 30 minutes; add carrots and cook 30 more minutes.  Add potatoes and cook another hour or more, until beef and vegetables are tender.  (At this point cool it and refrigerate or freeze, if not serving immediately).

Heat shallow individual serving bowls.  Move beef to cutting board, then skim fat from stew and bring to boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture if needed, a little at a time, until sauce is at desired consistency. Reduce heat, simmer a couple of minutes, remove bay leaf, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Slice beef and place in large shallow bowls. Put vegetables around beef, using slotted spoon.  Spoon sauce over all, and garnish with plenty of parsley.  

In the Comments this past week: Lots of thoughts on "The Guys" and their camionette.  "Bless their little cotton socks" says Maureen.  And, some chat, and questions, about leeks.  Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Dear Readers, will you help support this blog?  Please pass the word on to friends, and be sure to SUBSCRIBE,  to get your weekly email reminder, in the upper right hand corner.  Free and fast too! 

Unless otherwise attributed, all POSTS, PHOTOS and RECIPES on this blog copyright ©2010 Lynn McBride.  All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Comments

[LW]

Thanks for a really interesting post and an absolutely delicious recipe - it looks ideal for the current cold and snowy weather!

[Frank Levin]

I met Jean-Marc ( and Kristin)on his first American wine tour with the first bottling of Rouge-Bleu. It would be hard to find a person on earth who loves the business, art and science of wine than Jean-Marc. His blog makes for good reading if you love wine or are just curious. We have two bottles of his first vintage set aside for future enjoyment.
The recipe looks wonderful. I will try it next week. Perhaps with some screw-cap Malbec.

[Mark Kane]

I'm convinced. Screw caps are fine. I've always wished I had a use for all the corks. They're piled high in a big basket, some of them dating back 20 years.

[Lynn McBride]

Jean-Marc, thanks for the great post. I understand completely the practical reasons for a screw top, it makes perfect sense. But what about the romance of wine, the ritual of using the treasured, favorite corkscrew, the welcome sound of the popping of the cork, the woodsy smell of the cork? For me, it's part of the charm of drinking wine. Plastic corks are an acceptable compromise, but screwing off a cap reminds me not of a bottle of wine--but of taking the cap off my vinegar bottle! Guess I'm just old-fashioned.

[Herm in Phoenix, Az]

Thanks Jean-Marc for the informative article. I thought the metal cap and plastic corks were being phased-in because they were cheaper; I didn’t realize cork was in short supply. I do find the plastic cork harder to remove from the corkscrew. To many of us, I guess the metal cap, along with box wines, has the stigma of being used on lower priced wines.

I have followed the “Espinasse world” on Kristin’s FWAD and have enjoyed the progress of your family and the vineyard.

Lynn, I can't wait to try that pot roast recipe!

À bientôt

[Natalia]

I enjoyed Jean-Marc's interesting and informative post!(especially the tip regarding 'corked' wine!)
(I also enjoy Kristin's blog,French Word A Day).
When he spoke of Chateauneuf-du-Pape,it brought back wonderful memories of my cher Papa,who found it to be his favorite of favorites.
I do have difficulty accepting screw tops or plastic
corks,though--perhaps because in my generation,they were mostly synonomous with cheap or inferior wine. Lynn McBride expressed it well: popping that woodsy smelling cork is part of the charm!
Burgundy Pot Roast sounds wonderful! Perfect for these cooler days. THANK YOU! Bon journee!

[Kristin]

Bonjour Lynn,

It's noon, wintry cold, and that Burgundy Pot Roast is calling us!

So exciting to see Chief Grape's article here, and to read such friendly feedback. Wishing everyone a warm and cozy weekend.

P.S.: merci beaucoup, Lynn, and friends, for mentioning French Word-A-Day. :-)

[Claudia]

I enjoyed this guest post by Jean-Marc and appreciated finally hearing the reasons for the migration from cork to screw tops. It all makes sense although the aesthetics are wholly different, as the others have said. I too follow Kristin and her fabulous blog French-Word-A-Day.

This recipe looks perfectly suited to leftovers I have from our Thanksgiving events, so I think I may put one together this afternoon. But I must ask, the recipe said "Stir in the cornstarch mixture" and yet I don't see a reference to cornstarch anywhere else. Any chance this could be clarified?

[Jean-Marc Espinasse]

Thank you all for the kind words and comments on my post. Like you, I am a wine lover and more "old school" guy than modern style. But as far as wine quality is concerned, I definitely think that scewcap is the best closure for short term drinking wines.
Cheers

[Lynn McBride]

Oops! Claudia, thanks for catching the cornstarch, which I left out of the ingredient list, now corrected.

[Carol Hjort]

Bonjour Lynn!

I enjoyed the very interesting article on wine by your friend, Jean-Marc Espinasse! In a way, I am glad that the vineyards are now beginning to move away from the corked wine...I've never developed the "knack" for removing the cork without breaking it in two! :-( Andy is the "official" wine opener at our house, for that reason. We'll have to experiment with mixing a little wine with water to test whether the wine has been corked! Thanks for sharing the info!

Glad to hear you have turkey in France...I can't imagine Thanksgiving or Christmas without it!! However, I do realize that in other countries the holiday traditions are often different from ours. :-)

Carol Hjort

[Teresa]

this is a really lovely piece, thanks. very well written - and quite convincing... from the other comments it has the makings of quite a discussion. We'd always thought that once we moved to france we'd be buying our wine and big plastic "10 gallon" vats - and decanting it ourselves into bottles. I'll not feel so ashamed now when our guest are treated to the screw tops! Teresa http://upstixtofrance.blogspot.com/

[maureen winterhager]

...it's a bit like books and Kindle, isn't it? Or writing an email or penning a letter? Using a PEN and ink instead of a ballpoint? Progress. Not always compatible with tradition and romance and atmosphere - but, well, we wouldn't be on this blog without it, would we? thanks for the interesting input!

[Margaret Dennis]

So nice to see Jean-Marc on your post. FWD and your blog are my favorites!