Ok people, if there is one thing all wine professionals have heard enough about, it’s this whole screw-cap-or-cork dilemma. Why the screw cap? Is one of the two better? Is one cheaper? Are only cheap or poor wines available under screw cap? What about other closures?
I have some answers for you but they are not all facts. Just one Sommelier's opinion is all.
Why Screw Cap?The answer is simple, to protect the wine. Cork can and does ruin about one in twelve bottles, or one per case. The chances of having an "off" bottle are very slim when the cap is screwed on. Further, imagine the work that goes into wine, the effort and heart, and the sweat and tears. After all that, why would you want to run the risk of a cork ruining your wine? If you have been aging a wine for a decade in your own cellar, imagine how you would feel if it were corked. The LCBO is very good at refunding or replacing wine, but it can’t make up for the time you have spent aging the bottle. Cork is a risk.
Is one of the closures better?Better? What does better mean? They both serve a great purpose, keeping wine in the bottle until it’s ready to come out. Many believe the screw cap does not allow wines to properly evolve in the bottle. This may be true but only time will tell. Serious wines have not been put under cap for long enough to see evolution. In the 70's Latour (Famous Bordeaux Chateaux) sealed some wine under screw cap and tasted it against cork sealed bottles. After seven years they were found to be similar, but seven years is not enough.
Wine from the 60’s is still being enjoyed from under corks, and screw caps have only been active in major markets for about fifteen years or so . To make matters worse, many of the finest Chateaus and Domains of France are very reluctant to use the screw cap even with proof of quality. The makers of Stelvin Caps (the most used screw caps) claim to have small perforations in the cap that allow the small amount oxygen necessary for evolution in. Again, time will tell.
Is one cheaper?In general corks are less expensive---they can be as little as $0.20. This being said, a winery may pay up to $2.00 for the best corks. These better corks go in the finest bottles of wine, and they will provide the best longevity. They have been tested over and over again to ensure there is no cork taint. Most wine makers will tell you that the best corks are better than any other enclosure.
Screw caps actually cost the winery more than just the cap. The bottles that accept screw caps are also a cost factor, especially the “Bordeaux shape” bottles. When all is said and done, the choice of closure is up to the wine maker. The major cost issue for many wineries is machines for sealing the bottles. A smaller winery just starting out would most likely have to choose between the two and use the same closures for all wines.
Do only cheap wines go into screw cap?No, I have seen wines of all price ranges under screw cap. For example, Plumpjack Reserve, a wine you would see with a $500 price tag is available under screw cap and has been since 1997. I have even to my surprise seen some high-end Chablis with the screw cap. Domaine Laroche of Chablis has been using the screw cap for years on their best wines with great success.
What about the Environment?Here comes a surprise to most, screw caps are much worse. Corks come from the bark of a tree in Portugal and are therefore renewable. Screw caps come from open strip mining (blowing holes in the earth) and foundries (environmentally unsound factories). There are huge recycling programs in place for cork, literally millions of corks a year a recycled. Although screw caps are made of recyclable materials, they most often end up in land fills.
In ClosingBoth closures are here to stay. I say go cork. It’s classic, it’s sexy, it’s good for mother nature and gosh darn it, people like em.
