Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story | 🎁 25% off annual & gift memberships

Bonny Doon's Great Corkscrew Recall

Thursday 24 June 2004 • 2 min read

Randall Grahm's Bonny Doon winery in Santa Cruz, California has a long record of injecting some fun into the world of wine. Here's how they announce their current scheme to "exchange corkscrews for recycling into touching, whimsical, architecturally wondrous and symbolically rich though yet-to-be-designed sculpture". It was also, to my knowledge, the first American winery to go hook, line and sinker into screwcap. See also my account of how Grahm buried the cork in New York in 2002.

Hey, Hey TCA, How many wines did you taint today?

Bonny Doon Vineyard announces the launch of the 04 Great American Corkscrew Recall, an initiative whereby consumers can exchange their poor, tired, ravaged, rusty, tainted,useless corkscrews yearning to spin free, for a very cool and tasteful T-shirt. The exchange highlights Bonny Doon's adoption of Stelvin(tm) screwcap closures in lieu of corks for the entirety of their still wine portfolio.    

Beginning on 01 jun and running through the summer, participating retailers will display myriad propaganda which extol the virtues of screwcaps by elucidating the Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Exchange Your Corkscrew, to wit: 

1.      We will send you an unspeakably cool T-shirt.

2.      Corkscrews are still considered in some areas as being primitive,
         phallocentric symbols of male aggression.

3.      The still thoroughly dead Thierry Bouchon [M. Le Cork] should be 
         permitted to rest in peace.

4.      In do doing, your are eloquently stating that with the wines
         your personally serve, it just taint so.

5.      Your drawers will seem cleaner, neater and safer.

6.      The airlines will confiscate them anyway.

7.      You could easily put out an eye.

8.      Requiring a corkscrew to open a fine bottle of wine is now as
         compulsory as needing a crank to start one's engine.

9.      The glut of corkscrews currently offered on eBay has rendered
         yours virtually worthless.

10.     Playing Russian roulette is appropriate in old Akim Tamiroff films,
          not when opening premium wine bottles.

In an important election year, it is hard to conceive how one is not
getting totally rogered.  While Bonny Doon can do relatively little to
protect its customers from the depredations of politicians, we can do
our bit to protect Doonophiles from the ravages of TCA, the noxious
organic compound implicated in cork taint.  As a monument to the
odiferous past of M. Thierry Bouchon [aka "The Cork"], Bonny Doon plans
to relieve the country of its corkscrew surplus and convert the quaint
antiquities into a sculpture of Rhodean proportions to be erected in
Santa Cruz.

Bonny Doon has chosen to adopt the Stelvin(tm) closure to avoid the
alarmingly high incidence of taint associated with the use of natural
bark corks.  Cork taint manifests itself in extreme cases as a
pronounced musty or moldy scent.  Perhaps more insidious are mild cases
in which the consumer has no idea the wine is flawed, but perceives far
less fruit and expressiveness in a wine than expected.  In these cases
the consumer likely will not blame the cork for its apparent failure,
but will conclude that they do not like the wine in question.

Photos of the point of sale materials supporting the promotion can be
viewed by contacting Jenny Balas at +1 [831] 425-3625 x 123.  Further
information regarding screwcaps can be found at www.deathofthecork.com
.
More information about Bonny Doon Vineyard can be found at
www.bonnydoonvineyard.com.

Become a member to continue reading
JancisRobinson.com 25th anniversaty logo

Celebrating 25 years of the world’s most trusted wine community

In honour of our anniversary, enjoy 25% off all annual and gift memberships for a limited time.

Use code HOLIDAY25 to join our community of wine experts and enthusiasts. Valid through 1 January.

会员
$135
/year
每年节省超过15%
适合葡萄酒爱好者
  • 存取 287,137 条葡萄酒点评 & 15,837 篇文章
  • 存取《牛津葡萄酒指南》《世界葡萄酒地图集》
核心会员
$249
/year
 
适合收藏家
  • 存取 287,137 条葡萄酒点评 & 15,837 篇文章
  • 存取《牛津葡萄酒指南》《世界葡萄酒地图集》
  • 提前 48 小时获取最新葡萄酒点评与文章
专业版
$299
/year
供个人葡萄酒专业人士使用
  • 存取 287,137 条葡萄酒点评 & 15,837 篇文章
  • 存取《牛津葡萄酒指南》《世界葡萄酒地图集》
  • 提前 48 小时获取最新葡萄酒点评与文章
  • 可将最多 25 条葡萄酒点评与评分 用于市场宣传(商业用途)
商务版
$399
/year
供葡萄酒行业企业使用
  • 存取 287,137 条葡萄酒点评 & 15,837 篇文章
  • 存取《牛津葡萄酒指南》《世界葡萄酒地图集》
  • 提前 48 小时获取最新葡萄酒点评与文章
  • 可将最多 250 条葡萄酒点评与评分 用于市场宣传(商业用途)
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Free for all

View from Smith Madrone on Spring Mountain
Free for all 需求和价格都在下降。本文的一个版本由金融时报 发表。上图为11月初从史密斯·马德罗内 (Smith Madrone)...
Wine rack at Coterie Vault
Free for all 有些葡萄酒确实会随着陈年而变得更好,而且并非所有这样的酒都很昂贵。本文的略短版本发表于《金融时报》。...
My glasses of Yquem being filled at The Morris
Free for all 去吧,宠爱一下自己!这篇文章的一个版本由金融时报 发表。上图是10月30日我们在旧金山莫里斯餐厅 (The Morris) 庆祝晚宴上...
RBJR01_Richard Brendon_Jancis Robinson Collection_glassware with cheese
Free for all 给已经拥有一切的葡萄酒爱好者买什么礼物呢?当然是 JancisRobinson.com 的会员资格!(特别是现在, 礼品会员资格享受 25%...

More from JancisRobinson.com

view of Lazzarito and the Alps in the background
Tasting articles For background details on this vintage see Barolo 2022 – vintage report. Above, the Lazzarito vineyard with the Alps in...
View of Serralunha d'Alba
Inside information 一个令人愉快的惊喜,展现出比最初预期更多的细腻和复杂性。上图为塞拉伦加·达尔巴 (Serralunga d'Alba) 的景色。...
Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell of Succes Vinicola.jpg
Wines of the week 一款温暖你冬日的桃红酒, 起价 £17.30,$19.99。上图为苏塞斯酒庄的阿尔伯特·卡内拉 (Albert Canela) 和玛丽奥娜...
The Overshine Collective
Tasting articles 这是詹西斯 (Jancis) 最近西海岸公路之旅中品评的第二批葡萄酒。上图为新成立的超越集体 (Overshine Collective)...
Les Crus Bourgeois logos
Tasting articles 经典、实惠的波尔多葡萄酒,为享受而酿造,并为独立、可靠且定期更新的分级制度而精选。 关于这个年份我们发布的所有内容,请参见 波尔多 2023...
Glasses of Cape Mentelle red wine on a tasting mat
Tasting articles 本月的新加坡精选主要来自西澳大利亚,包括一个精美的开普门特尔 (Cape Mentelle) 赤霞珠 (Cabernet Sauvignon...
Ch Pichon Baron © Serge Chapuis
Tasting articles 波尔多列级名庄联盟 (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux) 在伦敦举办的品鉴会让我们首次品尝到这些成品酒款...
View from Le Ripi towards Monte Amiata
Inside information 布鲁内洛农民在 2025 年从未知道大自然会给他们带来什么。然而他们以某种方式应对了,甚至声称这个年份比 2024 年更好。上图是从勒里皮...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.