Unsulfured wines and Airfrance...

G

georg lauer

georg lauer
I was wondering if anybody here would know more about how sensitive unsulfured wines are. I bought two cases this Wednesday in Paris and picked them up together with a few icepacks right before leaving for the airport. Obviously Airfrance had no problems losing one of the two on a non-stop flight to Boston, despite being on priority. And unsurprisingly they were also unable to get them on one of today's two flights.

So now they will be in transit for two full days (if not more....who knows). At least the temperatures were unusually cool the last 36 hours, but I still wonder. Should I make vinegar out of them right away or do you think they should be OK as it was not really hot?

Thanks for any advice!

Georg
 
I take it back--it's not a great thing. Get them as cold as possible in your storage. If you can keep them at 50* or something like that you should be fine even if they had a few population doubling times in recent days.
 
originally posted by Joe Dressner:
Which wines?
Click to expand...

the wines are the following:

le Mazel, Cuvee Saint-Philippe
le Mazel, Cuvee Briand

V.I.T.R.I.O.L. extra , Pierre Beauger
Le Champignon magique, Pierre Beauger
Brin de Paille, Pierre Beauger

Cotillon des dames, Jean-Yves Peron

Chateau Planquette

La Combe, Jean-Marc Brignot
Rayure, Jean-Marc Brignot

Coultades, Nicolas Carmarans

Rouge de Causse, Le Petit Domaine de Gimios
 
Sulphur protects over time not against temperature, right? I really can't see how rising to room temps for a day or two would ruin them. That shouldn't be long enough for microbial activity to start up.
 
Cotillon des dames, Jean-Yves Peron
Click to expand...

Interesting, this is Altesse? Did you try it in France?

I really enjoyed his Allobrogie Mondeuse Champ Levat but haven't been able to follow his progress.
 
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
Sulphur protects over time not against temperature, right? I really can't see how rising to room temps for a day or two would ruin them. That shouldn't be long enough for microbial activity to start up.
Click to expand...
There is anecdotal data that runs the other way.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
Sulphur protects over time not against temperature, right? I really can't see how rising to room temps for a day or two would ruin them. That shouldn't be long enough for microbial activity to start up.
Click to expand...
There is anecdotal data that runs the other way.
Click to expand...
Some years ago, Kermit Lynch was putting on a special dinner featuring Thierry Allemand's unsulphured wines. The restaurant received delivery during the day and put them next to the kitchen. By the time the wines were ready to be served, they were all spoiled.
 
Some years ago, Kermit Lynch was putting on a special dinner featuring Thierry Allemand's unsulphured wines. The restaurant received delivery during the day and put them next to the kitchen. By the time the wines were ready to be served, they were all spoiled.
Click to expand...

ugghhh
that sounds encouraging.....
 
Is this to say unsulphured wine must be kept chilled at ALL TIMES? That seems a little extreme to me. I've purchased such wines off store shelves that had been there for some days and at the store's room temp and they were fine. Red wines do have acidity and tannic structure providing some protection along with being closed and sealed.

The KLWM anecdote simply doesn't come with enough info to be meaningful. Where had they come from?
Were they already spoiled? Next to the kitchen? Just what does mean? And so on...

For even an unsulphured wine to "spoil" because it spent 48 hours at 68-70 degrees seems questionable, that is an extremely high level of fragility. Makes me think the wine wasn't sound to begin with.
 
Ned -- The Allemand wines came from Kermit -- obviously he was supplying the wines and they weren't spoiled. Yes, one can infer that it was a little warmer next to the kitchen than in the rest of the room.

With respect to unsulphured wines, as we've previously discussed on this forum, Kermit has told me that except for Lapierre, he now asks all his producers to add a little sulphur just prior to bottling because he's had too many spoilage experiences with the wines. Ponsot and Pacalet in Burgundy also add a little sulphur just prior to bottling, as does Barret in Cornas, etc.. Richards, Walford, Allemand's UK importer, were early unsulphured enthusiasts, too, but have given up completely on the concept. OTOH, Joe claims to have no problems with really, truly unsulphured wines.
 
Not based on data but weight of personal anecdote, if I have the slightest suspicion that an unsulfured wine in my possession hasn't been chilly throughout its life, I open and drink it ASAP. I still run into far more spoiled bottles than I'd prefer, but fewer than I used to; perhaps the wines are more inherently stable than they used to be.
 
Eric Texier refuses to sell his unsulfured wine except to his neighbors. None for export. And he only bottles unsulfured wines that have been a couple of years in barrel (thus allowing plenty of time for microbial satiety).

Marc Angeli thinks that anyone who chooses to drink unsulfured wine should understand the need for a continuous chain of 12*C custody, or he did the last time I heard him discuss the subject.
 
Warren
The entire cylinder of the plane body is pressurized, it would be way too difficult to do it differently.
The cargo area isn't heated but heat from the cabin keeps it from dropping to the outside temp.
 
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
Warren
The entire cylinder of the plane body is pressurized, it would be way too difficult to do it differently.
The cargo area isn't heated but heat from the cabin keeps it from dropping to the outside temp.
Click to expand...
Luckily for the cats and dogs in the hold.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Eric Texier refuses to sell his unsulfured wine except to his neighbors. None for export.
Click to expand...
He showed an unsulphured 2005 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (red) for sale here in San Francisco a couple of months ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top