Comments on: Spin and predictions

By: Galen Struwe

Galen Struwe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:08:36 +0000

I can’t even believe I’m reading this.

By: Thomas Pellechia

Thomas Pellechia — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:22:34 +0000

Ron,

Have you ever tried to puncture the puncheon?

By: Samantha Dugan

Samantha Dugan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:32:45 +0000

I find that rubber/tar thing pretty vile, my simple solution is keep drinking French wine. I do know people that claim to find that flavor interesting, of course those are the same people that say they love the smell of bovine fecal matter pleasing…whadda ya gonna do?

By: Arthur

Arthur — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:52:39 +0000

I am partial to Toyo, medium-plus toast

By: Ron Washam, HMW

Ron Washam, HMW — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:47:39 +0000

As I said in a previous HoseMaster of Wine post, many people believe wine is aged in oak but, in fact, much of it is aged in Goodyear, Pirelli and Michelin. The Michelin Man is actually a puncheon.

Or maybe there’s just too much “necklacing” going on in SA.

By: Thomas Pellechia

Thomas Pellechia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:00:28 +0000

Interesting stuff. My training told me that burnt rubber is one of the aromas of H2S, which can be put here by lack of proper nutrition in the grapes for the particular yeast used to ferment them.

It’s such a basic situation that I can’t believe they haven’t tested for it, but I also haven’t heard any of them say that they have tested for it.

Oh, well. I don’t drink enough SA wine to worry about it right now. Maybe when I geta round to drinking more, they will have fixed the problem–or spun it better…

By: Jeff Miller

Jeff Miller — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:57:45 +0000

I have always understood rubber to result from poor winemaking practices, resulting in hydrogen sulfide, which eventually, left unchecked, progresses to disulfides. As well as rubber, disulfides can also manifest themselves as garlic, onion, canned corn, asparagus. So I guess I don’t see what the big mystery is. Especially since it’s pretty easy to avoid in the earlier stages of winemaking. There is some truth to the different effects on different people. I personally don’t mind a little rubber (though I do mind all the others), though I’m definitely in a minority there. And people’s sensitivity to these substances does vary considerably. And, without doubt, these problems are not unique to South Africa. Plenty of this in California.