Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
98 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017/2018 The Somm's Point of View From the perspective of working som- meliers and their guests, PlantCorc's ease of use and visual appeal are just as impor- tant as Nomacorc's environmental ethos. The natural look and soft-feel skin deliver trouble-free extraction and reinsertion, and the fact that it closely resembles the look of natural cork is a tableside plus. Master Sommelier Kevin Vogt is Founding Partner of boutique wine retailer Wine Country Connection, just a short stroll from gourmet bastion The French Laundry in the Napa Valley enclave of Yountville. Prior to opening the upscale wine shop in 2016, Vogt spent 20 years as Wine Director at Emeril Lagasse's celebrated restaurant Delmonico's in Las Vegas, where his list maintained a Wine Spectator Grand Award during his tenure. "A lot of restaurant guests are hesitant to see high-quality wines in alternate closures that don't look like a cork—that's where Nomacorc comes into play," says Vogt. "It's not something synthetic." The Master Sommelier is also quick to note the "consistency of the product— knowing what you're getting every time. I like the idea that it's a natural, sugarcane- based closure." Being based in Napa Valley wine country, Vogt is naturally sympathetic to winemakers' needs and notes that Nomacorc is "engineered to be able to offer flexibility to winemakers because it can replicate what a natural cork can do." Also in the Bay Area, multiple James Beard Award–winning restaurateur Shelley Lindgren is the owner of Italian cuisine bastion SPQR, as well as Southern Italian restaurant A16 with locations in both San Francisco and Oakland; she also serves as the wine director for all three establishments. "After spending so many decades open - ings lots of bottles of wine every day, I appreciate Nomacorc PlantCorcs because it seems like natural cork but doesn't have the flaws," says Lindgren. She relates that just a few days prior to our interview, she had opened a wine from her list for a visiting winemaker only to find it was infected with a tainted cork. Such awkward and embar - rassing situations happen far too often, according to Lindgren, who calculates the percentage of tainted bottles sealed with natural cork matter-of-factly: "It's not a high number, but it's a number." The implication is that tainted bottles are unacceptable to a wine director or sommelier, no matter the number. Like Vogt, Lindgren also sides with wine - makers who select Nomacorcs for offering predictable oxygen transfer rates (OTRs) that can be adapted to various types of wine: "The winemaker can quantify how much air gets into the bottle." (We will dis - cuss this aspect of Nomacorc's PlantCorc Master Sommelier Kevin Vogt, shown here at his Napa Valley retail store Wine County Connection, appreciates the flexibility Nomacorc offers to winemakers. "I LIKE THE IDEA THAT IT'S A NATURAL, SUGARCANE- BASED PRODUCT." —KEVIN VOGT, MS PHOTO: ALEXANDER RUBIN