2007 Reds, Corks and Wine Boxes

The more serious 2007 reds have been emerging from producers cellars over the past year. I’ve tasted several in the last couple of weeks from some favourite domains - Mas Jullien (Jonquières), Aupilhac Montpeyroux, Ollier Taillefer Grand Reserve (Fos in Faugères), Mas Gabriel, Clos de Lièvre (Caux) and Treloar Three Peaks (Trouillas, Roussillon). They all make attractive drinking now; the tannins seem softer with the fruit more the red rather than purple end of the spectrum. They're certainly ripe, balanced, not short of concentration and, by Mediterranean standards, elegant. Recommended as a restaurant young wine choice.

The 2007 growing season was somewhat cool and the results are not unlike the 2002s, also a cool year although one that suffered harvest downpours to the east of the region.

Corks
I'm not going to even begin discussing the merits of various wine closures. Whatever the problems with tradition corks and corked wine, nothing beats the look of them. So what to do with all those pulled corks and, in the Languedoc, increasingly rare wooden wine cases?

Here are some ideas.

A sculpture with corks, part of a wine box and a vine leaf	Or a bedside shelf with a wine box
Maybe some bathroom shelves	Perhaps a door fly screen
Or simply box in some pipes