Bottle variation
Encyclopedia
Bottle variation is the degree to which different bottle
s, nominally of the same product, can have different taste, smell, etc.
There are many possible causes of bottle variation:
, can taste and smell different.
One factor is found in the variable oxygen transmission rate
(OTR) of cork
stoppers, which translates to a degree of bottle variation.
Before the advent of inexpensive stainless steel
tanks, it was not customary to blend all the wine together and bottle it at once, a process called assemblage. Instead, the winemaker
would take his or her siphon
from barrel to barrel and fill the bottles from a single barrel at a time. Some traditional and/or idiosyncratic wineries still do this, including Château Musar
. Also, buyers and sellers of bulk wine typically do not have access to a multi-million litre tank, and so often the wine will vary depending on which tank it came from.
Bottle variation that increases over time typically comes from the packaging. Exposure to heat or light can cause a wine to mature more quickly or even make it taste "cooked". Bottles aged in the chilly cellar
s of Sweden
's alcohol monopoly
are famous for tasting younger than the same wine stored at a more typical 13 °C (55 °F). Finally, not all cork
s seal equally well, and a faulty cork will allow air into the bottle, oxidizing it prematurely
. However, a corked wine
would be described as a simple fault rather than bottle variation, even though the corked bottle would be clearly different from a non-corked example.
Sometimes, it is not clear what causes the variation. Bottles stored together their entire lives, with no obvious faults, can taste completely different. Thus there is a saying, "There are no great old wines, only great bottles."
Bottle
A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
s, nominally of the same product, can have different taste, smell, etc.
There are many possible causes of bottle variation:
- variation in the contents prior to packaging
- variation in the packaging components
- variation in the product and packaging processes
- variation in storage, distribution, cold chainCold chainA cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range...
, etc. - variation in the quantity of contents
Wine
Different bottles, nominally of the same wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, can taste and smell different.
One factor is found in the variable oxygen transmission rate
Oxygen Transmission Rate
Oxygen transmission rate is the measurement of the amount of oxygen gas that passes through a substance over a given period. It is mostly carried out on non-porous materials, where the mode of transport is diffusion, but there are a growing number of applications where the transmission rate also...
(OTR) of cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
stoppers, which translates to a degree of bottle variation.
Before the advent of inexpensive stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
tanks, it was not customary to blend all the wine together and bottle it at once, a process called assemblage. Instead, the winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
would take his or her siphon
Siphon
The word siphon is sometimes used to refer to a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. But in the English language today, the word siphon usually refers to a tube in an inverted U shape which causes a liquid to flow uphill, above the surface of the reservoir,...
from barrel to barrel and fill the bottles from a single barrel at a time. Some traditional and/or idiosyncratic wineries still do this, including Château Musar
Chateau Musar
Château Musar is the name of a Lebanese winery in Ghazir, Lebanon, 15 miles north of the capital Beirut. Musar grapes grow in the Beqaa Valley, a fertile sunny valley at an altitude of ca. , situated 25 miles east of Beirut.-History:...
. Also, buyers and sellers of bulk wine typically do not have access to a multi-million litre tank, and so often the wine will vary depending on which tank it came from.
Bottle variation that increases over time typically comes from the packaging. Exposure to heat or light can cause a wine to mature more quickly or even make it taste "cooked". Bottles aged in the chilly cellar
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
s of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's alcohol monopoly
Alcohol monopoly
An alcohol monopoly is a government monopoly on manufacturing and/or retailing of some or all alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine and spirits. It can be used as an alternative for total prohibition...
are famous for tasting younger than the same wine stored at a more typical 13 °C (55 °F). Finally, not all cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
s seal equally well, and a faulty cork will allow air into the bottle, oxidizing it prematurely
Premature oxidation
Premature oxidation, is a flaw that occurs in white wines, when the presumably ageworthy wine is expected to be in good condition yet is found to be oxidised and often undrinkable. In particular the affliction has received attention in connection to incidents of whites produced in Burgundy...
. However, a corked wine
Cork taint
Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening...
would be described as a simple fault rather than bottle variation, even though the corked bottle would be clearly different from a non-corked example.
Sometimes, it is not clear what causes the variation. Bottles stored together their entire lives, with no obvious faults, can taste completely different. Thus there is a saying, "There are no great old wines, only great bottles."