# Two Questions About Wine. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859 "2016-05-04T06:13:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/41 "2016-05-08T02:45:00Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’ve been at dinners where the winemakers just put the glass to the side and say “Wait.” After 30 minutes or so they’ll sniff, nod and start sipping. The difference really can be amazing. It reminds me of the time I visited a homeopath and asked how their medication was coming along. She told me to wait until she diluted it 30 more times. Shortly thereafter I OD’ed at a homeopathic beer festival. I forgot to buy a ticket. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/42 "2016-05-08T12:00:41Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > It reminds me of the time I visited a homeopath and asked how their medication was coming along. She told me to wait until she diluted it 30 more times. > > Shortly thereafter I OD’ed at a homeopathic beer festival. I forgot to buy a ticket. I have no idea what you are trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/43 "2016-05-08T13:19:01Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Australia was the first wine region to really embrace screw capsules so it’s not surprising that most of what you see being shipped overseas has them. The Australian wine industry did something clever which has been completely effective. A few years back, well before screwtops became the norm, the absolutely top wines, which had snob value beyond all questioning, went screwtop. The publicity line taken was that anyone who knew anything about wine knew that corks were responsible for corkage and that screwtops were obviously better and resulted in less wastage of the Precious Nectar. The result was that overnight screwtops became the sign of _good_ wine, and corks were for people who wouldn’t know a reisling from a shiraz. The change was very fast. Within probably six months corks were just plain _gone_. I can’t recall the last time I had wine that came with a cork. Even cheap wine. Australians drink more wine than Americans I think, and Americans tend to see it as something romantic for special occasions, and the cork is part of that romance. Not so around here. > [@silenus](#): > > I’ve been at dinners where the winemakers just put the glass to the side and say “Wait.” After 30 minutes or so they’ll sniff, nod and start sipping. The difference really can be amazing. If it wasn’t done double blind, the experience means nothing. I haven’t seen a double blind test for breathing as such. But I have seen double blind tests for other aspects of treasured wine culture, like specially shaped glasses and so on. Usually they fail. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/44 "2016-05-08T13:20:03Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > It reminds me of the time I visited a homeopath and asked how their medication was coming along. She told me to wait until she diluted it 30 more times. > > Shortly thereafter I OD’ed at a homeopathic beer festival. I forgot to buy a ticket. That last line is a cracker, and I’m going to steal it unashamedly. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/45 "2016-05-08T16:21:32Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > If it wasn’t done double blind, the experience means nothing. I haven’t seen a double blind test for breathing as such. But I have seen double blind tests for other aspects of treasured wine culture, like specially shaped glasses and so on. Usually they fail. Wasn’t meant as a test - it was a dinner. The wine was poured and nobody liked it. The winemaker said to just let it sit in the glass for a bit, so we poured another bottle. When we returned to the first one, it had opened up nicely and turned out to be the best wine of the evening. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/46 "2016-05-08T16:59:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wasn’t meant as a test - it was a dinner. The wine was poured and nobody liked it. The winemaker said to just let it sit in the glass for a bit, so we poured another bottle. When we returned to the first one, it had opened up nicely and turned out to be the best wine of the evening. or you had just had enough to drink where it didn’t matter anymore… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859/47 "2016-05-08T17:42:38Z")
There is always that. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-wine/753859.md?page=2)