CONTINUING SHIFT TO SCREW CAPS

The July 31, 2008 issue of Wine Spectator includes an article by Harvey Steinman about the continued trend away from corks and to screw caps. More evidence continues to suggest that screw caps do a better job of retaining a wine's freshness. Perhaps the most startling thing in the article is the fact that Leeuwin Estate, which he calls "Australia's greatest producer of Chardonnay," is not only shifting to screw caps, but recently spent $60,000 to rebottle several vintages dating back to 1980 into new bottles with screw caps because they believed it will protect these valued vintages better, and eliminate cork taint.

The article notes that Australia was quick to use screw caps (specifically, Stelvin caps) for wines meant to be consumed soon after purchase. However, it is now using them for collectible wines, some of which approach $100 in cost.

There is also mention of other alternatives. These include Vino-Lok, a glass stopper with a plastic ring. There is also an Australian product called Pro Cork, which is a cork with a thin disk of the material used in Cryovak food storage bags on both ends of the cork to help prevent cork taint.

It is hard to imagine that the ritual of pulling a cork from a wine bottle may soon go the way of the buggy whip. However, the ritual is secondary to the quality of the wine. On the other hand, the Pro Cork may prove to be the savior of the ritual. It will be interesting to see how rapidly this trend advances.