[Sca-cooks] Is this a wine myth?

[Kathleen Madsen]

So I'm *fairly* certain that this is that same
spoilage and spicing myth we hear all the time about
meats in medieval times - but I'd like to get some
feedback on it.  Having lived until recently in one of
the top producing wine regions of the world I really
enjoy it as a beverage.  I have been recieving an
online newsletter for a few weeks now that is heavily
into marketing the person writing it and some of the
info she's been putting out I am not all that
impressed with.  About a quarter of the newsletter is
about wine the remaining three quarters is about
advertising, events she's going to, how to send her
bottles for tasting, etc.  I'm completely unimpressed.

To whit, today's news article.  The topic is wines
served hot, which is rather odd as we are now well and
truly into Spring.  As she discusses mulled wine she
states, and I'm paraphrasing here as she has
copywrited this, that in the Victorian times wine
would spoil quickly as it was stored in oak casks and
they had yet to discover the preservative benefit of
adding sulfites to the young wine.  As a result they
had a lot of spoiled wine on hand and so merchants,
being the enterprising souls that they are, masked the
off flavor by heating the spoiled wine and mulling it
with a mixture of spices.

Is it just me or is this truly the load of bunk I
think it is?

Eibhlin, wine lover but never a vintner.