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- A Small Experiment
Two days ago was with a friend in the industry here in Tokyo. We were in a quirky mood and tried a small experiment that seemed a bit off the wall.
We took two small unopened bottles of Hakutaka (白鷹 or 'white hawk') Sake. Setting one upright on a table, we took the second bottle and extended it lengthwise, parallel to the ground at shoulder height, and gently shook it in a forward and backward movement, all the while keeping it parallel with the ground, so the liquid in the bottle slopped up the neck, against the screwtop, and back in a continuous motion over a period of 20 seconds. We then stood the bottle next to the first bottle and marked them both differently. Let things set for three to four hours and came back and opened them.
We then poured them into clear sherry glasses and proceeded to inspect them by eye, nose and tongue as if we were tasting wine. Both of us said nothing at the time, but compared notes afterward. Remarkably, we both had the same response. The unshaken Sake had the same crystal color we were accustomed to, smelled as fresh and lovely as usual, and tasted the usual delicate Hakutaka initially, with lengthy followthrough. The shaken bottle, however, had taken on a very slight golden tint, had a bruised, shortened nose and almost no followthrough compared to the first bottle. We capped the bottles and tried again three hours later. Recapped and tried yesterday. Recapped and tried today. All the same results.
Albeit a very limited sampling, and with Sake not wine. Nowhere near the rigorous control of environment and samples needed for a proper experiment. Nevertheless it raised some very interesting questions, especially since so much wine is shipped lying down rather than standing up (Sake is always shipped standing up).
I was wondering if anyone else has encountered results like this with wine, in their own experience?
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455 - Reply by oceank8, Apr 19, 2009.
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Interesting experiment. I notice if I drink a wine right after it has traveled, it doesn't taste the same as if I have let it settle. There was a thread on this subject not too long ago but no one did an actual experiment with it.
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1935 - Reply by Gregory Dal Piaz, Apr 19, 2009.
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Travel shock is an interesting phenomenon. I know folks who have tried to scientifically divine the reasons but so far have not come up with a satisfactory answer. I can only assume that's the case because there is not a singular answer but rather multiple affects that are being observed.
Certainly things like the stirring of sediment, incorporation of oxygen and the like are part of the recipe with wine but in order to properly conduct an experiment such as this you would ideally need three bottle that were identical before the experiment.
So the question here is, did you in fact start the experiment with 2 bottles that were intrinsically different? I know it was a casual experiment, and you would at least have to reproduce the results to make sure they truly spoke of the influence of your shaking.
Doesn't sound like a painful experiment to repeat though!
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1865
- Reply by dmcker, Dec 14, 2009.
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Forgot to report back on this, but a little more than a month later we repeated the experiment with not three but four bottles (two shaken, two not), from two separate lots of the Hakutaka. Same results.
BTW, I find that most Sake produces fewer 'bad' bottles than my experience with wine. Though I definitely have had 'off' bottles of Sake and even beer. Amongst the several possible reasons for that, perhaps the fact that Sake and beer are almost invariably drunk younger means there is less chance for problems to loom large...
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86 - Reply by MReff, Dec 14, 2009.
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there is something called the Mollydooker shake, I know it pertains to Mollydooker but is that what you mean?
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157 - Reply by chadrich, Dec 15, 2009.
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I believe the Mollydooker Shake is supposed to liberate the nitrogen that they force into their bottles and allow it to escape when the bottle is opened. So I think that's very specific to their wines and supposedly makes the wine better (and the shaker look goofy at a party).
The Sake experiment is an interesting simulation of what a wine would endure if it were shipped laying on its side. For distributors shipping large amounts through their own or contracted carrier, the packaging and loading could be somewhat controlled. But for individuals having wine shipped from stores or wineries, it's a crap shoot. While I've had boxes arrive that are packed upright, lying down, and upside down; there's no telling how they are loaded on the truck(s) that propel them across the country.
Going back to the concept of travel-shock that wines can endure....have you tried your Sake experiment by allowing the shaken bottle to rest for a week or two before opening, in order to see if it recovers from the abuse? More scientific experimentation may be called for!
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1865
- Reply by dmcker, Dec 15, 2009.
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Think of all the chateaux from Bordeaux and elsewhere that ship in wood boxes. They are all on their sides during numerous incidences of shaking along their journeys. I do like those boxes in my cellar, but tend to think upright cardboard 12-cases are better for the wines during their travels.
Yes, chadrich, more 'scientific' study may be called for! Want to participate from your part of the globe? ;-)
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- Reply by chadrich, Dec 16, 2009.
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I am absolutely on-board (surely such selfless work for the good of all mankind qualifies for a tax deduction, right?!). Am thinking about 4 identical bottles, 2 shaken, 2 not. Open one of each immediately and compare. Let the other 2 "rest" for a few weeks, then open and compare. Don't know that red versus white matters, but am aiming for red. Stay tuned....
