{"id":1534,"date":"2013-02-21T17:57:51","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T17:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/?p=1534"},"modified":"2013-04-12T16:16:49","modified_gmt":"2013-04-12T16:16:49","slug":"to-screw-or-unscrew-the-cap-re-visited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/to-screw-or-unscrew-the-cap-re-visited\/","title":{"rendered":"To Screw or Unscrew the Cap Re-visited"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"screw<\/a>Nearly ten years ago I wrote a feature entitled, \u201cTo Screw or Unscrew the Cap\u201d in which I made a case for metal screw caps.\u00a0 A decade ago cork finished nearly every fine bottle of wine and the Stelvin metal cap was a relative novelty, except among Australian and New Zealand wineries. The prevailing sentiment in America was that screw caps, regardless of their origin were fit only for inexpensive wines with limited ability to age.\u00a0 No more!\u00a0 What started as a novel way to avoid the taint of infected cork that had become increasingly more prevalent with the shortage of high quality cork has now become mainstream in nearly all wine producing countries.\u00a0 Today, even Verget, the great French Burgundy producer has adopted the metal screw cap for his top end wines.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Screw caps work, and they work well, plain and simple.\u00a0 In fact, they finish wines better than cork.<\/p>\n

In nostalgic moments, I bemoan the loss of a perfect cork exiting every special bottle of wine but the reality of the situation is that not all of those \u201cspecial bottles\u201d were as special as they should have been or could have been had they been finished with metal caps. \u00a0Ten years of positive results with screw caps finishing top end wines should be all the testimony we need.\u00a0 Nevertheless, perceptions die hard, so I would like to reiterate my initial arguments in favor of the metal cap.<\/p>\n

Natural cork is a limited commodity.\u00a0 It is the refined bark of the cork oak, which grows only in certain Mediterranean climates and locales.\u00a0 Moreover, it takes decades for a cork oak that has been \u201charvested\u201d or flayed if you will to once again bear sufficient cork for our precious wine bottles.\u00a0 In a world enamored of wine, the supply of cork simply cannot keep up with demand.\u00a0 There just isn\u2019t enough genuine cork to go around, and even less high quality cork to be had.\u00a0 Hence, the plethora of alternatives:\u00a0 composite corks, hybrid corks, synthetic corks, and now screw caps.\u00a0 Each has its attributes as well as its drawbacks, with the exception of the metal screw cap whose only downside is its lack of aesthetic appeal.\u00a0 Aside from aesthetics, the modern screw cap is the perfect seal for most wines.\u00a0 It provides an airtight seal, rarely leaks and never spoils or imparts an off taste or smell to a bottle of wine.\u00a0 Surprisingly, it appears to allow fine wines to mature slowly and consistently in bottle as well.\u00a0 The same cannot always be said for all genuine cork or the \u201cpseudo corks\u201d we find closing many wines today, so let\u2019s not hold the metal screw cap in contempt.\u00a0 Besides, the metal cap is here to stay, whether we like it or not, and I predict that more great names in wine will soon adopt or expand their use of the metal screw cap.<\/p>\n

Don<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly ten years ago I wrote a feature entitled, \u201cTo Screw or Unscrew the Cap\u201d in which I made a case for metal screw caps.\u00a0 A decade ago cork finished nearly every fine bottle of wine and the Stelvin metal cap was a relative novelty, except among Australian and New Zealand wineries. The prevailing sentiment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTo Screw or Unscrew the Cap Re-visited | Wine Blog from The International Wine of the Month Club<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A decade ago cork was used in every fine bottle of wine and the Stelvin metal cap was a relative novelty, except among Australian and New Zealand wineries.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/to-screw-or-unscrew-the-cap-re-visited\/\" \/>\n<meta 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