Screw Off!

On August 10, 1889 an Englishman called Dan Rylands patented the screw cap. It took nearly 120 years, but the invention is finally gaining respect in the wine world, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. This is one instance, at least to me, where it’s good to get screwed. No dicking around with a corkscrew and cutter, and on the off chance there’s wine left in the bottle it’s a simple matter to close the bottle for polishing off the next day.

D’Arenberg, one of my favorite wineries across the board, has made the move to screw caps on most of their bottlings. Although not on their “Icon” wines: The Dead Arm, The Coppermine Road and The Ironstone Pressings. As serious, world-class wines I guess they‘re compelled to keep with the tradition of the cork, besides which these wines are meant to lay down and the cork is an important tool to verify that the wine has been properly stored.

I had the happy occasion to break open a 2004 Dead Arm last night (thanks Benamatt), as a complement to some massively thick rib eyes. This wine is, in a word, outrageous. Rich, deep, regal purple, with a massive nose of spicy blueberry. Robert Palmer raved about this wine, but he described it as tannic. I don’t know when he reviewed it, but a mere 3 years after bottling – as young as you’d ever want to drink it – the tannins subsided significantly. The texture was like liquid velvet. The taste was a complex blend of mocha, vanilla, blackberry and maybe even a bit of chocolate. Unlike some other D’Arenberg Shiraz, this wine was not at all peppery. Maybe a bit of earth or tobacco, but the general impression is a juicy smoothness that just tastes and feels soothing. A superb wine, and a perfect match to the ribeyes.

Not cheap at around $60, but I’m tempted to call it a bargain because it’s that good. They didn't screw around with this one.