May 2004

Are All Screws Cheap?

by Martina Priadka


You are dressed to the nines and so is your date. You have money to burn and are ready to celebrate at your favorite restaurant. You peruse the wine list and choose something that sounds different and delicious. You don’t mind spending $100 on something special because this is a special occasion. The wine arrives, you check the label and acknowledge that, yes, this is the wine you have chosen. The waiter nods, smiles and twists off the screwcap.

No, this is not how you imagined the scene. You were expecting to enjoy a really fine wine and are paying the premium to prove it. Where is the ceremony? Where is the romance? Everyone knows that all good wines are sealed with a cork. But today, the question of cork stability is causing quite a stir around the wine world and things are starting to change.

As things stand now, we know as a consumer that up to 5% of all wines released will be undrinkable. If you spend $500 on an exceptional burgundy from one of the top houses and cellar it for a special occasion, there is nothing more disappointing than opening it up and finding it is corked. There is nothing you can do about it, either other than accept the fact that you just lost $500 in the wine lottery.

There are several wineries, however that have decided that this is not fair business. In the forefront for premium wines was Plumpjack Vineyards who, for their 1997 vintage, placed screwcaps on half of their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Bonny Doon Vineyards have always been good at leading the way into new territory and released 80,000 cases of their 2002 vintage of Ca del’Solo with a screwtop closure and have plans to convert entirely in the near future. Several other notables have joined in as well, including names such as Whitehall Lane and Sonoma-Cutrer. As a matter of fact many wineries at every level are deciding to make the change to what they think is the logical answer to the cork problem. The largest organized group is the New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative with forty-five wineries on board and they are making quite an impact on the world of wine.

The screwcap, also becoming known as the Stelvin closure, is considered a very reliable alternative to the traditional cork. It does not taint the wine by imparting any undesirable flavors. It is easily resealed at home for those of you who just can’t seem to finish a bottle in one sitting. There is never an issue of a crumbling cork and most importantly there is never an issue of a wine being corked.

The loss of romance is one thing. I know I have a passionate relationship with wine and the ceremony of it all. I will be quite disappointed when screwcaps become the norm and I believe they will. Just as you do not feel the same at a special dinner wearing sweatpants and flip flops as you do in an Armani suit or Dolce dress, you do not feel the magic when you watch your waiter twist off the screwtop. However, those people who collect wine and have an investment of thousands, a 5% loss is huge. In that case, what would you choose?

The other big argument floating out there at the moment is aerobic versus anaerobic ageing. The group against screwcaps argues that the cork allows for a minute amount of oxygen into the bottle that allows fine wines to achieve the soft elegance that they are expected to have over time. The pro-screwcap team along with their league of scientists is trying to prove that ageing is an absolutely anaerobic process that is not hindered in the least by the new form of closure. At this point most people in the food and beverage business feel that screwcaps are ok for ready to drink wines and unacceptable for wines that require ageing. As the battle continues, only time will tell. Until then, the question for you, the consumer, is to screw or not to screw.

To try great wines with a screwcap closure look for names such as:

Bonny Doon and Sonoma-Cutrer from the US
Kim Crawford and Seresin from New Zealand
Hewitson and Salitage from Australia
Michel Laroche from France

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink


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