Monty Python & The Holy Vineyard

Despite the fact it is becoming more popular in the US, wine continues to be a matter of mystery to many consumers. But the interesting thing is that, in a lot of ways, consumers appreciate the mystique, the aura that surrounds wine. It may confuse them, but they sort of like that.

Tale, for example, a new report from Oregon State University that maintains that the kind of closure used in a wine bottle – whether natural cork, synthetic cork, or a screw cap – makes no difference in the taste of wine. Where you are drinking a $5 bottle of Merlot or a $200 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, the type of closure probably won’t affect the taste.

In fact, while the study doesn’t go this far, the fact is that a screw top actually is less likely to cause any problem in the taste of wine. Just a tiny bit of bacteria in natural cork can actually cause a wine to taste a little off.

However, another report from the same researchers suggests that, given a choice between a corked wine and a wine with a screw top, consumers almost always preferred the former and identified the latter as being lower in quality and therefore less expensive.

Now, a shift in the kinds of closures used in wine bottles is almost inevitable, simply because of the shortage of natural cork. But clearly the wine industry has a lot of work to convincing us – consumers – that a screw top on a bottle of wine isn’t a sign of lesser quality.

The issue of cork vs. screw tops is one of the few subjects not addressed in a wonderful program that will be airing on the Food Network this Sunday, “John Cleese’s Wine for the Confused,” hosted by the veteran of Monty Python and assorted other film comedies.

The goal of the show is to demystify the creation and selection of wine, and to do with the kind of irreverence that you expect from Cleese. We’ve had a chance to preview the show, and he does a wonderful job visiting wineries, tasting wines, and explaining the terminology that often confuses and intimidates consumers.

Wondering what a tannin is? Trying to figure out how to deal with snooty sommeliers? Concerned that your wine glasses aren’t the right shape for the particular wine you’re drinking? Cleese cuts through the nonsense, and offers a wonderful primer for anyone interested in this fascinating subject.

By the way, there must be something in the air that is generating a lot of interest in wine. In just the next couple of weeks a new film will open entitled “Sideways,” which follows a pair of middle aged men on a “buddy trip” into California’s wine country before one of them gets married. Directed by Alexander Payne (“About Schmidt”), the movie is supposed to use winemaking as a metaphor for life – and the early reviews from both winemakers and movie critics have been positive.

We’ll drink to that.

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