The Wine List

This will be an ongoing list of wines and the types of stoppers or caps used on the bottles. I'll list them as I drink them.

Last updated: 06/05/2008

Whites:

• Boissonneau Chateau Moulin de Ferrand Bordeaux Blanc (2006): Plastic stopper.


• Calina Reserva Chardonnay (2006): Plastic stopper.


• Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Chardonnay (2006): natural cork stopper.


• Clif Bar white wines: According to Clif Bar, all the whites have screw caps.


• Five Rivers Monterey County Chardonnay (2005): Plastic stopper.


• Husch Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc (2006): Natural cork stopper.


• Jepson Estate Bottled Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc (2005): Natural cork stopper. Plastic capsule.


• Orleans Hill Viognier (2006): Natural cork stopper. Certified organic wine.


• Trader Joe's Coastal Fumé Blanc (2006): Natural cork stopper.

Reds:

• Abel Clément Côtes du Rhône Villages (2004): Natural cork stopper.


• Avalon (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon (2005): natural cork stopper.


• Bucklin Mixed Blacks Red Wine, Sonoma Valley (2005): Natural cork stopper.


• Bucklin Bald Mountain Ranch Syrah, Sonoma Valley (2004): Natural cork stopper.


• Bucklin Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley (2004): Natural cork stopper. Certified Organic • Ancient Vines • Dry-Farmed • Field Blend.


• Clif Bar red wines: According to Linzi Gay, Brand Manager at Clif Bar Winery in an e-mail to me, all the red wines have natural cork stoppers, and the company is committed to sustainably harvested cork for their red wines. I haven't yet tried any of these for myself.


• Domaine Michel Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Seuvrees” V.V. (2003): Natural cork stopper. 100% pinot noir. Distributed by North Berkeley Imports.


• Mirassou California Pinot Noir (2006): Natural cork stopper.


• Pepperwood Grove Chilean Pinot Noir (2007): Plastic stopper.


• Preston of Dry Creek Zinfandel (2003): Natural cork stopper.


• Rosenblum Cellars Paso Robles Zinfandel, Richard Sauret Vineyard (2005): Plastic stopper.


• Château La Vernède Tradition AOC Coteaux du Languedoc (2004): Natural cork stopper.


• Yellow Tail cabernet sauvignon (2006): Plastic stopper.

Sparkling:

• Dibon Cava Brut Reserve: Natural cork stopper.


• Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs: Natural cork stopper.

Actually, I think most sparkling wines come with a cork stopper. So far I haven't found one with plastic.

 

Woman drinks wine, unwittingly threatens endangered animals

I love wine. I really do. And I've drunk a fair amount of it during the weeks since I started my plastic project. But it wasn't until I read this article a couple of days ago that it occurred to me that some of the wine corks I've pulled have been made of plastic! And those plastic corks didn't even make it into my weekly tallies. Good lord, was I drunk or something??? How could I have missed them?

Fortunately, I like to save my wine stoppers, so I was able to pull out my collection and count them up. For the record, there are 31 cork stoppers and 11 plastic stoppers: 26% plastic!

So why are plastic corks, in addition to all the usual plastic problems, threatening endangered animals? Because they compete with natural Mediterranean cork forests, which not only provide humans with stoppers for their various libations, but also provide unique habitat for some of the world's more unusual creatures, such as the Iberian Imperial Eagle, the Barbary Deer, and Iberian Lynx, which according to Wikipedia, "is the world's most threatened species of cat."

You can read more about the Mediterranean cork forests and WWF's campaign to save them, as well as watch a beautiful video showing how cork is harvested and the people and animals whose lives depend on it.

Also for the record, the Boissonneau Chateau Moulin de Ferrand Bordeaux Blanc, of which I just bought a whole case, is delicious... and has plastic stoppers. Well, they'll be in my weekly tally until they're gone, and then I'll find a plastic-free crisp white wine to enjoy. Any suggestions? (Not crazy for chardonnay.)
 

 

Store Report: Rockridge Market Hall

The Pasta Shop in Market Hall. Or as my friend calls it, Markup Hall. It's pricy, alright. But they do have bulk pasta! All different shapes and sizes! And Market Hall is only a few short blocks from my house right near the Rockridge BART station. Unfortunately, they only offer the standard roll of plastic bags near the bulk pasta. But if you ask at the counter, they will give you paper bags. It was very crowded today, so I didn't want to try and get into a discussion about bags. I'll find a less busy time (if there is one) to approach the manager about putting out paper bags as an alternative to the plastic. Most customers will simply take what's available rather than ask for something different.

At Market Hall's Cheese Shop, I asked to have my cheese sliced to order and wrapped in paper. However, the merchant wasn't really clear on the concept. When I got my paper-wrapped cheese home and opened up the wrapper, I found inside a sheet of plastic to add to my pile this week. And later, I discovered that the plastic is actually attached to the paper wrapper, so unless I bring my own baggie or paper with me, there won't be a way to buy cheese from them without plastic.

Paul Marcus Wines at Market Hall does not believe in using styrofoam shippers. They use molded pulp bottle shippers
to package their wines for delivery and were very happy to show and demonstrate to me how they work. The merchant told me that the only time these types of shippers might not work is if the wine is being shipped to an area with a very wet climate. These shippers might not survive a heavy rainstorm. Otherwise they work great.

In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, Market Hall Produce has a few bulk bins of nuts, seeds, & grains. Once again, I only saw plastic bags offered, but I imagine they too would give you a paper bag if you asked. Of course, the best thing to do is bring your own bags, but barring that, having paper available would be nice.

Market Hall also houses a bakery, meat market, fish shop, florist, and Peaberry's Coffee & Tea. Other than ordering an iced chai in a paper cup from Peaberry's, I didn't have time to check out the plastification of any of these other shops today. I was on my way to Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley. More on that later.