screwcaps

[Ken Gargett]

i see a disparaging comment about screwcaps.

what do members think - i'll bet that this changes very much with geography.

[JMH]

I love corking a bottle, but to put it frankly, I'd much rather have screw caps than have to worry about some of the dodgy cork we get out here ruining a whole heap of wine. There's no worse feeling than opening up a nice 10 year old bottle only to find that an awesome wine has been ruined by a less than stellar cork.

I'm guessing that because Australia isn't on the same production levels with the states/europe, we get shafted when it comes to getting large quantities of good cork.

[Ben]

I'm a traditionalist. To me a screw cap is just plain wrong.

[mgillett]

I don't have a problem with the screwcaps. I think the stigma of the screwcap (ie associated with being a cheap wine) is slowly disappearing. A learned wine friend of mine has even suggested that screwcaps are a better long-term option than corking. Not sure if this is true but JMH certainly has a good point. Nothing worse than saving a good bottle for that special occasion only to have a corked wine. :-(

[habanablue]

as long as they don't screw cap champagne I'll be fine!;-)

[Ken Gargett]

i'm hugely in favour of screwcaps. nothing worse than a mouldy bit of ex-tree stuffing your wine.

as for champagne, what they'll eventually do is crown seals (beer bottle lids). before you think that is horrendous, almost every decent bottle of fizz already spends a good part of its life under crown seal before the cork goes in and some winemakers c=actually keep it that way for their own stock as it works better.

if you have an old champagne bottle around, check the lip - it might be all square. check a recent one (dom. cristal, krug - you name it tho i think bolly might still do a few the old way) and you'll see it has the same lip as a beer bottle, but before they put screw tops on beer.

[dogbreath]

Haven't tried any since the old college days! I've seen a Pinot Noir from Australia in stores with a screw cap. Tempted to try it. :-)

[anacostiakat]

» i see a disparaging comment about screwcaps.

» what do members think - i'll bet that this changes very much with

» geography.

I dont have a problem with screwcaps and buy Tohu unoaked chardonnay bottles when I can and others.

[SuperT]

I'm a huge fan of the screw top. I don't REALLY age wines as I'm not that serious (as screw tops aren't proven for LONG term aging), but never having to worry about a corked bottle is nice to me. I also like the screw top for tailgaiting and such as it is more convenient.

Sure there is a certain romance with the opening of a wine bottle with a waiters corkscrew, but the screw top is quick and easy.

It will be interesting to see if the Old World (France, Italy, etc) producers every truly adopt the screw top as they seem so traditional in their beliefs. I've heard it is starting to take off, but who know if it will fully take off.

Of the 40-50 bottles I have in inventory, I'd guess 20-30% are screw tops.

[Colt45]

I have no problem with screwcaps (I knew you were a proponent). I still haven't

read anything conclusive as to their effect on long term aging.

I've been lucky with regards to cork taint - I've had very few tainted bottles.

I've had more bottles tainted by VA than cork.

[Wiley]

Aesthetically, I prefer the cork. But I don't turn my nose up at a bottle with a screw cap.

Some of the Oregon and Washington wineries I've been to, including those that are French-owned, are offering their wines with both.

[SuperT]

I always thought 'taint' was something else. . .

[Colt45]

» I always thought 'taint' was something else. . .

»

»

I don't know how good that would be for wine either

[Roy R. Frush]

» i see a disparaging comment about screwcaps.

» what do members think - i'll bet that this changes very much with

» geography.

What is your opinion of composite/synthetic corks? Aesthetically, I prefer a cork to a screwcap, but ultimately I believe function is more important than form.

[korryp]

I like cork!

[argon345]

Screw caps, corks...if there is good wine behind it does it really matter?? In fact i've heard that the screw caps may actually allow the wine to breath better than cork and then there isn't a chance of ending up with a bunch of rotten dried up cork in your wine!!

I think all wines will go this was soon. As i believe the cork stocks are running low!!!

Now where did i put that Boons Farm???

[Mikey]

» i see a disparaging comment about screwcaps.

» what do members think - i'll bet that this changes very much with

» geography.

I don't have a problem with them at all.There's nothing worse that popping a bottle you've been looking forward to having and finding it be corked and undrinkable.I'm all for it in that respect,I'm just kind of waiting to see some evidence about any benefits(besides cork taint) or detriments(not allowing the wine to "breathe" over the course of years) it will have on cellaring wines.I'm not sure what the caps will do to the "development and evolution" of the wines in the bottle.Will a Mouton-Rothchild develop better/worse/no difference over a 15 year span with a cap as opposed to a cork?

I dunno!

[jay8354]

I think that Cork is on the way out. Cork taint is just a major concern for both Producers and Consumers.

Screwcaps or other non-cork alternatives are the way to go. Screwcaps are easy to open, no taint.

There are almost no downside other than wines need to be age longer (lack of oxidation) and no romanticism of opening a cork.

[Colt45]

» There are almost no downside other than wines need to be age longer

This is what probably intrigues me most about the whole debate. Do we know,

conclusively, that it's a simple matter of more time for aging? Or will the wine

ever properly age at all? Will there be no difference of any kind?

Is it simply a matter of air/oxidation? I've read some reports that allude to the

fact that wine undergoes a chemical reaction regardless of air contact.

It will definately be interseting to get final answers.

[Bill Hayes]

In Aus we are slowly bringing in screwcap and tearing down the attatched stigma. But there is a bit of backlash with some advertising suggesting that cork is better for the environment as it is biodegradable. I think that battle is lost. I prefer the screwcap because you don't have to lay the bottle down to keep the cork moist.

[Guest crossbow]

» i see a disparaging comment about screwcaps.

» what do members think - i'll bet that this changes very much with

» geography.

Ken

what skid said!!

Remember the Taltarni Merlot-Cab 92, I told you about? I opened it on my daughter's 4th birthday(When she was born, the wine was 10 years old). The cork almost fell apart. I managed to get it out of the bottle before it totally did and thus did not spoil the wine. The wine was very good. Still spicy too!

[Colt45]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060419/wl_nm/portugal_corks_dc

[Taino]

I’m indirectly in the industry and I can tell from fact that there’s nothing better for wine than screw caps.

You cannot like them, hate how they look, think they are wrong or whatever (and I could agree), but the fact is that between cork corks, plastic corks and screw caps, this last one is the safer for your wine and your wine will age just fine with much less risks than with a traditional cork.

[Cam]

iv'e dragged a ghost back up, there is a bottle of bordeaux which uses a screw cap, of course no good for aging, but is a good table wine, i think screw caps lower the prestige of having a bottle at dinner, some people say they love corking a bottle or smelling the cork to sample the flavours of the immaculate bouquet? if you want a table wine, buy a screw top, not for aging.

[Freefallguy]

Ken- I missed this post- I see it was dated from our afternoon on the deck and assume it came out of my disparaging comment on the wine you brought(hey, Rob concurred on the disparaging side).

My comment was based on the perception that a screw cap wine was the equivalent of Boone's farm. Your explanation then and the others here give me newly enlightened and appreciative view.

As I recall though, Rob mentioned that you were most familiar with screw caps on your box wines.