tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post4465566851888047047..comments2023-10-09T11:45:33.422-04:00Comments on McDuff's Food & Wine Trail: Malo in a BottleDavid McDuffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03274955351036700406noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-43833523711509612682009-05-26T10:24:49.300-04:002009-05-26T10:24:49.300-04:00Hey Sam,
Sorry it's taken a few days to respond, ...Hey Sam,<br /><br />Sorry it's taken a few days to respond, but I'm very much in agreement with your thoughts on this (and I'm glad to have provoked them).<br /><br />Though I have no statistical evidence to support it, my gut tells me that this was a one-off bottle rather than a rampant issue with the Tessier C-C. Having drunk it, I can also reiterate that it was a definite example of interesting bottle variation rather than disastrous variation. As a retailer myself, there have certainly been a number of occasions, whether with natural wines or more conventional wines, when we've had to return an entire lot of wine. Extreme reductivity, acetobacteria run wild, hygiene issues and, yes, bottle re-fermentation are all issues that come to mind with such cases.<br /><br />I also respect the time you try to take to educate your customers when they return such bottles. Our shop tend to take a "the customer is always right" approach, which may be great from a simple customer service perspective but doesn't go nearly as far toward actually educating the customer about the specific issue (if indeed there is one) and, as you say, of keeping them from running scared of other wines/bottles/vintages from the same producer.<br /><br />Thanks for the great comment.David McDuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03274955351036700406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-32339912398005029822009-05-21T22:02:34.995-04:002009-05-21T22:02:34.995-04:00Now speaking as a "wine geek" I will say that I fi...Now speaking as a "wine geek" I will say that I find these blips of variation totally facinating and as you said, part of natural winemaking and in part adds some personality but as a retailer, whole nuther story. One or two bottles, I don't bat an eye but when I have 10 cases of Verget Syrah Rose go all wacky on me...gotta make a call and arragnge a pickup. While my customers are up to something interesting, it can be, as Saignee so beautiflly put it, "ugly" especailly when the spritz is more of a stinging, and the aromatics remind me of sitting in the hair salon waiting for my Mom's perm to set...foul.<br /> Would our store take a wine like that back, sure but not before tasting it with the customer, (if they were down to taking a few minutes) and pointing out that there is some merit in the wine, (although that Verget..blech) and pointing out how passionate the winemaker was about making a pure wine, that he took such a risk, more times than not the customer will not write off the estate and be willing to give it another try, maybe in another vintage, but it is better than punishing the estate for one "off" bottle, batch or vintage.<br /> Great post, love it when you make me like think and junk!Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-78391690003561269322009-05-21T21:47:31.778-04:002009-05-21T21:47:31.778-04:00Jeremy,
It seems I'll have to wait for a trip out ...Jeremy,<br />It seems I'll have to wait for a trip out West before I have the chance to taste any of the NPA wines. <br /><br />I dug the Police video too -- an obvious choice/inspiration given the title of my post. (In the way of strange synchronicity, I'm watching Andy Summers (and the Police) on "Spectacle, Elvis Costello with..." right now.) Definitely a great guitar sound, and so much rawer than his later style.<br /><br />You and Cory are both more than welcome for the shouts-out.<br /><br />Cory,<br />Malo in the bottle can indeed be ugly, thus the not entirely erroneous/vanilla info from UC Davis. In this case, it yielded interesting, even enlightening results. In others, it can result in a downright bacterial mess. Sounds like that was the case with the Binner.<br /><br />Herr Director,<br />Even though I enjoyed the wine, I'd take it back (if I sold it, which I don't) in a heartbeat. It's not what the winemaker intended. Technically, it's not "the wine." And the shop where I work has a very liberal, customer oriented return policy. But, again, this is one of those cases where the unintended/unexpected yielded something compelling rather than something foul.<br /><br />As to your other question, it's entirely possible for refermentation to be primary (rather than malolactic) alcoholic fermentation. Just think of the pseudo-myth of Dom Perignon seeing stars after fermentation recommenced in the spring following a cold winter in the cellars. The Methode l'Ancienne is pretty much based on bottle refermentation, as is much of the Pet-Nat movement. It's also been known to happen less intentionally, via a combination of residual sugar and a light enough filtration that a speck or ten of yeast manages to survive in the bottle.<br /><br />(By the way, The Police are now playing "Message in a Bottle," as I'm watching, on "Spectacle." Freaky.)David McDuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03274955351036700406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-2251549499615283082009-05-21T18:43:07.263-04:002009-05-21T18:43:07.263-04:00So would you accept the bottle for refund at the s...So would you accept the bottle for refund at the store? Just curious.<br /><br />Also curious if you know whether refermentation is always malolactic? Had never thought about that before.Director, Lab Outreachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10624832393197386064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-18044573821644703502009-05-21T17:54:01.506-04:002009-05-21T17:54:01.506-04:00I recently had some wine from Binner that had gone...I recently had some wine from Binner that had gone through malo in the bottle and it was an ugly thing to taste. I have yet to try the Tessier cour-cheverny, but it has been on my radar for a minute. Thanks for the shout out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8017457764988110566.post-23629943600303370112009-05-21T10:59:50.359-04:002009-05-21T10:59:50.359-04:00When Tracie B and I were at Terroir on Sunday nigh...When Tracie B and I were at Terroir on Sunday night, Guilhaume poured us an NPA Chardonnay that had been opened for 2 weeks and another that had just been opened. They were both entirely alive and yummy but completely different — and not just different because of age but rather because of the evolution of the wine. <br /><br />The vid of SOS is rad. Andy Summers gtr sounds so raw and awesome. My tele was built by the same luthier that builds his guitars these days, John Carruthers. <br /><br />Great post and thanks for the shout out...Do Bianchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12744434741371288465noreply@blogger.com