3 ms·

When I was a kid I used to play with "Creepy Crawlers" which was a form of liquid PVC that you'd put on a mini hot plate, pour into a mold, and as it cured it w

When I was a kid I used to play with "Creepy Crawlers" which was a form of liquid PVC that you'd put on a mini hot plate, pour into a mold, and as it cured it would give off a smell that I always remembered. So as an adult I find that certain wines give off that same smell. I've tried to explain this to people who know wine but so far no one has had that "aha!" moment, I assume it's some type of long-chain polymer formed by the phenols in the grape skins.

robbrown451 9y ago
If you want people to understand it, you probably need to pack your Creepy Crawler kit next time you go to a party, and give a demonstration.
- RichardCA 9y ago
  There is still a very active trade on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/bhp/plastigoop http://www.ebay.com/bhp/plastigoop
  - robbrown451 9y ago
    I'm tempted. Love that kind of stuff. And now I'm really curious about the smell. :)
    - RichardCA 9y ago
      I can only describe it as "chemical-ey". I think there are several "notes" in red wine that fall into that group (red wine is different from white, because the skins stay on longer in the process). In my case my dad was into wood-working so my childhood memories include all sorts of solvents and other chemicals that had complex aromatics. So when I pick up a memory when I'm drinking wine, I know there's "something" going on at the molecular level, I just don't know what it is. I don't think anyone knows in some cases, I mean the wine industry employs chemists, obviously, but no one can really put their finger on how wine develops and changes over time. That's why it's more of a craft than a science.
jeffwass 9y ago
Could it be Brett? First time I noticed this taste in a wine my thought was of Band-Aids. Apparently that's a nottoo-uncommon description. http://www.decanter.com/features/the-misunderstood-world-of-brettanomyces-246861/ http://www.decanter.com/features/the-misunderstood-world-of-...
to3m 9y ago
I had a bottle of red wine a few months ago that smelt very distinctively like 1980s Star Wars toys! (Perhaps there were other toys of the era that smelled the same, but after some initial difficulty in placing this slightly unwelcome, somewhat solvent-like smell, it was Star Wars figures that came to my mind.) And the smell appeared to be in addition to all the other smells and tastes you might expect from red wine: so it tasted like a red wine, and smelled like a red wine, and it was actually quite nice... and it smelled of Star Wars figures as well, on top. That bit wasn't so nice, but it was so unusual that I could somehow separate it in my mind. Like I was drinking wine with a Star Ways toy under my nose, or something like that. It was a very strange experience. Anyway, perhaps this is the same chemical, or one related. After a couple of glasses the smell mostly dissipated.
codewritinfool 9y ago
Yes! I had one of those - the 60's metal version. The smell was plastic and gauze and cork-like. I do detect something very similar in some wines.

robbrown451 9y ago

If you want people to understand it, you probably need to pack your Creepy Crawler kit next time you go to a party, and give a demonstration.

RichardCA 9y ago
There is still a very active trade on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/bhp/plastigoop http://www.ebay.com/bhp/plastigoop
- robbrown451 9y ago
  I'm tempted. Love that kind of stuff. And now I'm really curious about the smell. :)
  - RichardCA 9y ago
    I can only describe it as "chemical-ey". I think there are several "notes" in red wine that fall into that group (red wine is different from white, because the skins stay on longer in the process). In my case my dad was into wood-working so my childhood memories include all sorts of solvents and other chemicals that had complex aromatics. So when I pick up a memory when I'm drinking wine, I know there's "something" going on at the molecular level, I just don't know what it is. I don't think anyone knows in some cases, I mean the wine industry employs chemists, obviously, but no one can really put their finger on how wine develops and changes over time. That's why it's more of a craft than a science.

jeffwass 9y ago

Could it be Brett? First time I noticed this taste in a wine my thought was of Band-Aids. Apparently that's a nottoo-uncommon description. http://www.decanter.com/features/the-misunderstood-world-of-brettanomyces-246861/ http://www.decanter.com/features/the-misunderstood-world-of-...

to3m 9y ago

I had a bottle of red wine a few months ago that smelt very distinctively like 1980s Star Wars toys! (Perhaps there were other toys of the era that smelled the same, but after some initial difficulty in placing this slightly unwelcome, somewhat solvent-like smell, it was Star Wars figures that came to my mind.) And the smell appeared to be in addition to all the other smells and tastes you might expect from red wine: so it tasted like a red wine, and smelled like a red wine, and it was actually quite nice... and it smelled of Star Wars figures as well, on top. That bit wasn't so nice, but it was so unusual that I could somehow separate it in my mind. Like I was drinking wine with a Star Ways toy under my nose, or something like that. It was a very strange experience. Anyway, perhaps this is the same chemical, or one related. After a couple of glasses the smell mostly dissipated.

codewritinfool 9y ago

Yes! I had one of those - the 60's metal version. The smell was plastic and gauze and cork-like. I do detect something very similar in some wines.