CRYSTAL SPRINGS RESORT REVOLUTIONIZES WINE QUALITY STANDARDS

09-19-2007

 

 

VERNON, NJ, Sept. 18, 2007 – Crystal Springs Resort has taken wine quality standards to a previously unheard of scientific level with the introduction of two groundbreaking devices that will revolutionize the $162 billion U.S. wine industry.

The award-winning resort, located just 47 miles from New York City in one of the Northeast’s most scenic locations in the bucolic Sussex Skylands region of New Jersey, is using the latest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, similar to that which is used in the medical world, to test the quality of wine without compromising the bottle, cork or foil. 

The innovative devices – one a “wine scanner” and the other a “cork taint” testing device – are the first in the world to use the MRI-like technology to detect high levels of oxidization and acetic acid (resulting in a nail polish smell and taste) and the molecule TCA (resulting in cork-tainted musty aroma and muted taste) without opening or damaging the bottle. 

The resort, whose extensive 50,000+ bottle collection and fine dining restaurant, Latour, have received numerous industry accolades, will allow use of the devices free of charge on bottles brought in for testing by guests of the resort.  The resort’s extremely rare collection of more than one hundred 100-point Robert Parker-rated wines is pristine and guaranteed unspoiled, as all have been tested by the devices.  The 100-point wines and other bottles are stored according to their region: the massive cellar plays host to the Napa Room, Red Bordeaux Room, Red Burgundy Rhome Room, White Wine Room, Red Italian Room and the Red Californian Room, among others.

Crystal Springs Resort recently opened the 250-room Grand Cascades Lodge to join the existing Minerals Resort & Spa.  Non-resort guests will be charged a nominal fee for use of the devices.

 

A Passion for Wine Collection Leads Owner to Science

An avid wine collector and connoisseur himself, Crystal Springs Resort’s owner Gene Mulvihill had long considered a way to ensure the quality of a wine as well as determining its authenticity.  Fraud has been an ever-present issue in the industry as wine has become an increasingly valuable commodity and previously one of the most difficult to authenticate.

Mulvihill conceived the idea for a device that would test the quality of a wine without opening or damaging the bottle and began working in conjunction with experts from the University of California, Davis to fund the project.  The result was two separate devices: one which utilized Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging to analyze a fully intact bottle, while the other, a cork-taint device, can detect the molecule 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which results in the hallmark cork taint musty taste and muted aroma, at 1 part per trillion (ppt).  The normal threshold of human detection is thought to be between 3 and 4 ppt.  The cork taint device is similar to puffer machines at some airport security points, according to Dr. Matthew Augustine, associate professor of chemistry at UC Davis, who oversaw the project. 

Mulvihill saw the direct benefit of using the machines when he put a recently acquired group of 31 bottles to the test.  The result:  just 11 were free from spoilage or cork taint, with failing to meet the resort’s standards, meaning guests will never have to enjoy a less than stellar wine experience.

“We have a clientele that has come to expect the finest quality from our extensive wine collection,” said Mulvihill. “What’s most important to me is that our guests know that when they come here, they are assured of tasting only the best.”

According to John Osborne, the resort’s wine director and a nationally recognized authority on the industry, the development of the two devices may have a global impact.  “We think there will be a market for this technology beyond our resort,” said Osborne, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field. “Our hope is that what we’ve developed here will eventually help wine lovers all over the world enjoy their tasting experience with the comfort of knowing the wine they purchased meets the standard they expect.”

 

About Crystal Springs Resort

Crystal Springs Resort is a sophisticated mix of residential housing, hotel accommodations including sister property Minerals Resort & Spa, and world-class amenities, including:

·         Seven renowned golf courses, including the internationally acclaimed Ballyowen 

·         Four-star Restaurant Latour

·         Wine Spectator Grand Award-wining wine cellar (more than 50,000 bottles and 3,600 labels to date)

·         Distinctive Biosphere indoor pool (set to open January at Grand Cascades Lodge) with underground aquarium, tropical foliage and vortex pool

·         Reflections Spa (to open late fall at Grand Cascades Lodge) to complement existing Elements Spa at Minerals Resort & Spa

For more information, visit www.crystalgolfresort.com or call (973) 827-5996.

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