OT-OT? Wine that has "lost its fruit" in transit

The subject of shipping wine by rail caught my attention. I baught a bottle of 1997 Pino Grigio from the discount bin from my local liquer store and was warned that the wine might have "lost its fruit". Having never met a bottle of wine that I did not like "cept' Merlot that has been heavely oxidized what is he talking about. If wine is kept a room temputure or below what could go wrong? As for shipping wine & beer by rail I could see were this is one product that cant be alowed to freeze. So how do you keep a reefer warm?

The term "reefer" is a misnomer. Rail cars and truck trailers that are equipped with temperature control units are called "reefers." The units can heat and cool, thus keeping the interior at a constant temperature despite the outside temperature.

"Lost its fruit" is a wine tasting term indicating the product has lost or is loosing its fruit flavor during the aging process. This is also referred to as "dried out". Shipping should have no effect on this.

Some of us might find it hard to believe, but during the years when the railroads dominated the long-distance market for just about any sort of lading, a couple of California vinters did ship wine to the East Coast in bulk, with tank cars having up to six compartments and domes. Here's the proof:

http://www.oerm.org/images/GATX%20tank%20453%20sm.JPG

Ash to the quality of the product, I would not care to shpeculate at thish time, (hiccup)

* "Night Train" was listed in Pennsylvania state liquor store price lists as a "wine specialty" ... same as Thunderbird and Ripple. It's a safe bet that no one bought it to savor the bouquet.

The California Wine Association shuttled their product from member vineyards to the railroads, using electric motors.
Wine has a "maturity" which is a precise match of sugar and acid. At maturity, it is what the winery ideally wants it's product to taste like. "Lost it's fruit" denotes a period at or after maturity when this ratio chemically changes, thereby altering it's particular ideal taste sensation. This can be caused by improper shipment. If a shipment is exposed to heat or cold, this process can occur. There are cases on record where wine has been left in freight cars in a yard to spoil, or in some cases where a shipper has neglected to ship properly. Not a great thing when you sit down for a nice filet mignon with what you thought was a nice Merlot only to find that you have a bottle of vinegar ! Rare, but it has happened.

I tried the wine----Very Dry and High in Alcohol.....I then chilled it and it was much better in my cooler when i took it fishing

When I was still working for the UP I would peruse the train list to see what was being carried on my train and on the QFRNPP the list always showed wine. I left the UP in 2007 and doubt that has changed much.

It looks like the UP still has that service:

http://www.uprr.com/customers/ag-prod/e ... ndex.shtml

Produce Railexpress
and Express Lane are UP’s premium perishables service offerings.
Produce Railexpress carries fresh produce from the West Coast
to New York. Express Lane moves dairy products, canned goods,
wine, frozen foods and some fresh produce from the West
Coast to destinations in the East and Southeast.

Insulated Interior
This boxcar type allows additional protection from temperature extremes. Insulated boxcars
are popular with wine, liquor, beer and grocery shippers.


Bailey Yard's goods tell the story of American commerce, for through here pass refrigerators, TVs, coal, automobiles, potatoes, fruit, wine, lumber, corn, sugar, steel, chemicals and hundreds of other commodities used every day. As goes Bailey Yard, so goes the nation, for it is an economic barometer of America.

2nd trick op wrote: Ash to the quality of the product, I would not care to shpeculate at thish time, (hiccup)

* "Night Train" was listed in Pennsylvania state liquor store price lists as a "wine specialty" ... same as Thunderbird and Ripple. It's a safe bet that no one bought it to savor the bouquet.

I think you are referring to these: http://www.bumwine.com/ .

Known as "liquid crack," for its reputation for wreaking more mental havoc than the cheapest tequila. Something in this syrupy hooch seems to have a synapse-blasting effect not unlike low-grade cocaine.

You will have to agree the only bouquet on a brand such as Cisco Red, is the one you wake up with after consuming a 750ml bottle.

Bon appitite!

HoggerKen wrote: You will have to agree the only bouquet on a brand such as Cisco Red, is the one you wake up with after consuming a 750ml bottle.

I take exception to the fact that you say that Cisco Red has no "bouquet". What's this nonsense about wine "losing it's fruit" ? Why, after my 4th bottle, they all smell the same anyway - even Aqua Velva !

3rdrail wrote:
I take exception to the fact that you say that Cisco Red has no "bouquet". What's this nonsense about wine "losing it's fruit" ? Why, after my 4th bottle, they all smell the same anyway - even Aqua Velva !

Problem is, Cisco Red does not have any fruit to it. Or at least as much as Thunderbird.

Haven't seen this "vintage" lately, but the label used to have a pretty good image of the Casey Jones locomotive on it. I once bought a bottle to use as a door prize at a modeling event. The neighborhood wine stores didn't deal with the like of Night Train Express and Ripple so I had to move a couple of steps downscale to find it. Was amused when the clerk asked me if I wanted it chilled.

Some years ago a group of us in the office decided to buy a bottle of Night Train as a gag birthday gift for the boss (who was a railfan). The guy who went to the liquor store (in coat and tie) said when he came back with the bottle, "the clerk looked at me kind of funny and said 'you don't look like the type'".

It's been over thirty years since I've encountered a Night Train bottle, stitting on a step next to a place in Newark where I was temporarily lodged. The label I recall from those days had a head-on depiction of a steam loco with a headlight mounted on the top of the smokebox, but I don't recall whether a Belpaire firebox, which would have pretty well identified a K-4 as the inspiration, was pictured. We appear to have moved further west, and in the direction of Lima power.

2nd trick op wrote:It's been over thirty years since I've encountered a Night Train bottle, stitting on a step next to a place in Newark where I was temporarily lodged. The label I recall from those days had a head-on depiction of a steam loco with a headlight mounted on the top of the smokebox, but I don't recall whether a Belpaire firebox, which would have pretty well identified a K-4 as the inspiration, was pictured. We appear to have moved further west, and in the direction of Lima power.

By the time you finished a bottle, it probably looked more like an FT.