PLONK THIS!! or EVERY WINE BEFORE ITS' TIME.

I had never  heard the word "PLONK" before today. At first I thought it might have been a misspelling.  But then searched and found this from an Australian wine site:

"Let's get it straight...Plonk, a term used to describe cheap wine, especially cheap red wine, is commonly known in the UK and to a lesser degree in the USA.

It’s so set as part of British English that many people are surprised to learn that it’s originally Australian. Yes!

In the land of Aus you no doubt would at some time have encountered references to “plonk bar” and “plonk shop” for a wine bar or shop, plonk-up for a party, and plonked-up for intoxicated.  (by Ozychyck)

I love it when I learn something new, like I never knew I had ever been plonked-up before now!  Gotta luv the Aussies, so creative in so many ways.

And now some disquieting news for you wine connoisseurs:

ELECTRICITY CAN TURN CHEAP PLONK INTO VINTAGE WINE IN MINUTES, SCIENTISTS CLAIM

by Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent, Telegraph.co.uk

Researchers - and some vineyards - are developing electrical equipment that accelerates the ageing process, turning young wine from an undrinkable bitter grape juice into a quaffable beverage fit for any table.

The system being developed in China - which has a burgeoning wine industry - works by speeding up the normal chemical reactions in wines that can take up to 20 years.

According to the researchers, the results have been "striking" and have fooled some wine experts in taste testings.

Even the cheapest of wines are usually only drunk after six months. Most, especially reds, take longer to achieve the required balance and complexity. The finest can take 20 years or more to reach their peak.

During ageing, wine becomes less acidic as the alcohol reacts with organic acids to produce a plethora of the fragrant compounds known as esters.

Unpleasant components precipitate out and the wine becomes clearer and more stable. Red wines mellow and become less bitter.

A team led by Xin An Zeng, a chemist at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, came up with the idea of pumping the rough wine through a pipe that ran between two titanium electrodes, connected to the mains.

For the test wine, the team selected a three-month-old cabernet sauvignon from the Suntime Winery, China's largest producer.

Batches of wine spent one, three or eight minutes in the electric fields.

The team then analysed the treated wine for chemical changes that might alter its "mouth feel" and quality, and passed it to a panel of 12 experienced wine tasters who assessed it in a blind tasting

 

With the gentlest treatment, the harsh, astringent wine grew softer. Longer exposure saw some of the hallmarks of ageing emerge – a more mature "nose", better balance and greater complexity.

The improvements reached their peak after 3 minutes at 600 volts per centimetre: this left the wine well balanced and harmonious, with a nose of an aged wine and, importantly, still recognisably a cabernet sauvignon.

 

Although Zeng cannot yet explain how exposure to an electric field alters the wine's chemistry, his results show that under the right conditions the technique can accelerate some aspects of the ageing process.

 

 

"Not only can it shorten a wine's normal storage time, it can also improve some lower-quality wine," he said.

Five Chinese wineries have begun trials.