Screw cap or Cork?

Which to use: screw caps or cork? This is a very difficult topic to discuss and a debate that’s been going on for quite a while.  For me it is a personal preference but here are some pro’s and cons of both and maybe I can make you appreciate both.

Cork Pro’s:

• Been used over 400years as the method of sealing.
• Gives a romantic feeling.
• They are biodegradable.
• They support an entire industry of corkscrews and other cork-removal products.
• The pleasant flavor of the cork imports into the wine.
• The tiny amount of oxygen that passes through the cork helps with the maturing process.

Cork Cons:

• Wines get corked. Corked/tainted: Oxygen leaking into the wine because it is not sealed good enough OR the wine being contaminated by a chemical called trichloroanisole (TCA) which is a byproduct of the processing of tree bark into cork.
• As little as 1% or as much as 20% of a batch can be corked.
• Corks can be difficult to remove, and sometimes break off into the bottle.

Plastic Cork Pro’s:

• Immune to cork taint, thus wine is much less likely to spoil.
• Some are recyclable.
• Together with natural cork they support an entire industry of corkscrews and other cork-removal products.

Plastic Cork Cons:

• If not recycled they pose a thread to the environment.
• They do not retain their elasticity well over time which means they are unsuitable for wines meant to age for decades.

Screw Caps Pro’s:

• Wine can not be corked/taint.
• Sealed much more air-tight than cork.
• They are less expensive.
• They can be removed easily.
• They are consistent.
• They are much more reliable.

Screw Cap Cons:

• Causes environmental threads.
• Loss of Cork farming.

The Conclusion:

Screw caps are a great revolution in the wine industry and it definitely has its pro’s.  We can not escape buying either wine with corks or screw caps because it is not the method of sealing that defines the wine but the personal touch of each and every winemaker.  For that reason you are still aloud to have a favorite, maybe just because it looks vintage or modern, or for what ever reason.  For me, well I have always been a cork lady, but screw caps are making their way into our lives and our wine cabinets and I do not think that is a bad thing. I am not against screw caps but the sound of a cork being popped and the smell of the wine on the cork, that my friends are something that no screw cap will ever be able to provide.  

In the good spirit of fine wine remember:

“In wine one beholds the heart of another”

    - James Biancamano