The Growing Acceptance of Screwcaps for Wine
Screwcaps are Suitable for Red Wines Meant for Aging
Aug 27, 2009
More and more winemakers around the world are using screwcaps instead of natural cork to seal their bottles of precious liquid, and studies are showing that consumers are becoming more accepting of them. When screwcaps first hit the wine scene in 1959, they were mostly used on bottles of cheap plonk. Not too long ago when they were re-introduced on wine bottles, they were met with considerable resistance. People still associated them with mass produced, low-quality wine, but this appears to be changing. In June 2009, Wine Business Monthly published a report stating, "screwcaps seem to have found their widest acceptance yet by the industry and consumers after many years of increasing use and familiarity..."
Winemakers are Turning Their Backs on Natural Cork
Ontario's Norman Hardie, winemaker and owner of Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County, uses screwcaps to seal all his wines. He says he has had no complaints about them at all, and that people are, in fact, thanking him for using them.
Winemakers are turning their backs on natural cork and turning to screwcaps and other alternative closures because of problems associated with cork. Although cork suppliers are working very hard to eliminate "cork taint" or 2,4,6-trichloroanisole from their products, it is still a problem.
Paul Pender, winemaker at Tawse Winery in the Niagara Peninsula, says that while almost no tainted bottles are returned to the winery, he still believes there is a problem. Many wine consumers may not recognize the effects fo low levels of cork taint, and may blame the dull wine that lacks flavour on the producer. Pender estimates that for every 20 bottles he opens at wine shows and tastings that at least 1 or 2 of them are faulty due to the cork.
Another serious problem with cork closures is the phenomenon of random oxidation. Because corks are a natural product, their quality varies. While some bottles may age beautifully with a cork, there are many that will be destroyed by too much oxygen leaking through a faulty cork.
Screwcaps are a Solution to Problems Associated with Cork Closures
Screwcaps appear to be a solution to the problems associated with cork closures and many wine consumers are very comfortable with the alluminum caps being used to seal bottles of white wine or reds meant for early drinking. However, when it comes to high quality wine destined for the cellar, many are not as confident. Studies and tastings are beginning to show that this lack of confidence in unfounded.
Jamie Goode, wine writer and scientist, states in The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass, "there are plenty of reports of twenty-year-old screwcapped wines being opened and the wine tasting fresh and lively."
New Zealand's Felton Road, on its website, cites a tasting done a few years ago by senior tasters of reds sealed under screwcap and cork. The oldest wine was a 1983 from South Africa. The website reports, "Not a single red wine in the tasting was preferred by the tasting panel in its cork version. In most cases the preference for Stelvin wine was considerable."
In a study of their own wines, Felton Road reports that their 2001 Pinot Noir was preferred by 70% of the judges in Stelvin.
Studies Show that Corks do Not Breathe
It is a widely held belief that the cork transmits very small amounts of oxygen into the wine which aids in the maturation process. Proof is emerging that shows that this is not the case.
Professor Pascal Ribereau-Gayon, a leading Bordeaux authority, dismissed the myth that wines require the oxygen transmitted through a "breathing" cork in 2000. Ribereau-Gayon writes in the Handbook of Enology that "reactions that take place in bottled wine do not require oxygen." Bottles of old Port whose corks are dipped in sealing wax to prevent the wine from breathing are among many examples of wine that mature in bottle in completely anaerobic environments.
Appellationamerica.com posted an article last year titled "Please Stop Telling People That Corks "Breathe", written by Dr. Richard Grant Peterson, PhD. In the article, Dr. Peterson emphatically states that "Sound corks do not transmit oxygen!", and "Show me a cork that breathes and I'll show you vinegar."
"Corks never inhale and they exhale only once (right after bottling)." Dr. Peterson explains. He describes cork as being made up of tiny cells containing a small amount of air. At bottling, when the cork is compressed in order to be punched into the bottle, the air is forced out of the cells closest to the ends of the cork. Thus, the cork exhales a very miniscule amount of oxygen into the wine. Any other oxygen leaking into the wine will be along the boundary between the glass and the cork, usually occurring after many years of storage. Visual proof of this is when the cork is pulled and it is stained with wine along the outside of the cork. When the cork is cut open, there is no wine staining inside proving that the wine did not seep through the cork.
Screwcaps are Being Given the Chance to Prove Themselves
Are screwcaps the perfect closure for wine bottles? Probably not, but consumers and industry professionals are certainly willing to give them a chance to prove themselves. Studies seem to indicate that cork does not transmit oxygen required for the successful maturation of a wine, and that the process is, in fact, an anaerobic one. With more and more premium, high-quality wines being sealed under screwcap, it won't be long before consumers are able to determine for themselves how well a wine matures with that closure.
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