Screw Caps vs. Cork – What is Your Choice?
Don't be surprised or disappointed if the next bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or even an expensive bottle of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon you purchase will have a screw top as opposed to cork!
A hot topic in the wine industry, cork vs. screw cap is gaining popularity. Screw caps, or Stelvins, were originally developed in the 1970 to bottle cheaper wines. When you purchase wine today you will start to notice (if you have not already) that you are seeing more and more wine bottles with screw caps. So, why screw caps? The answer is, cork taint or 2.4.6-Trichloranisole (TCA).
Cork taint has become a serious problem. Cork taint can affect wine aroma and flavor. The contamination happens during the cork sterilization process. The culprit, or TCA, is formed when the chlorine used for bleaching reacts with the mold already growing in the cork. The unpleasant phenomenon leaves the wine tasting musty and dull. Humans are incredibly sensitive to the TCA, even in weak dilution.
The problem of tainted corks is on the increase due to the lack of good quality cork to meet the demands for bottled wine. With this, the support for screw caps or synthetic cork alternatives quickly ensued.
One of the champions of screw cap closure was New Zealand back in 2001. Today, you will find a large number of Australian and New Zealand wines under screw cap.
A significant number of highly rated wineries in the United States are taking the plunge Plumpjack has started, bottling 50 percent of their reserve production in screw caps. This 90 dollar bottle by Molly Dooker “Carnival of Love” Shiraz holds the 8th and 9th spot of the Top 100 wines in the world for 2007 and 2008 is under screw cap.
So why haven’t all wineries moved to screw caps? There are still a number of issues on the table of aging wine with a screw cap. The cork offers the ability to let the wine breathe. Most wines purchased today are consumed very shortly after purchase, and aging is not an issue.
So, don’t be afraid to purchase your next bottle of wine thinking you are purchasing a “cheap wine” because it has a screw cap! The cork offers tradition, and the romance of uncorking a nice bottle of wine either at your table in a restaurant or when you entertain is wonderful. But, it’s all about the health of the wine you drink vs. how you get to it!
Until next time,
Cheers!
