:drink: If you are looking for a real bottle of wine it will be corked. Allot of wines are using plastic corks now too, so dont let that fool you. If it has a screw top its most likely a lambrusco or something that has carbonation in it. These wines are usually more fruity and cheap, I personally enjoy them myself but would not open one to eat with, just to get trashed.
DennyCrane said:
actually i was just watching that show on Fine Living Network "Simply Wine" with Andrea Immer (the female American Master Sommelier)...
she said that nowadays there a lot of really good wines that are coming in screw-tops. it's not like it was a few years back. wineries from New Zealand especially, are switching to screw caps.
they've done studies that shows even in top wineries around 5% of wine bottles are "corked" (meaning effected by cork taint)...
because of modern techonology, the screw tops are actually the perfect way to seal wine. and lot more wineries are expected to switch to screw tops in the next few years...
the screw tops used now are designed so precisely that they can control the exact amount of pressure and air to let in without risking any "cork taint"
it'll take years to change the public's perception of wine screw-tops, but if it's good for a Master Sommelier, it's good enough for me. that's all i know.
As far as better keeping of wine, screw caps are better. Most wines are changing to a plastic cork so as not to get "corked". The problem is people in the U.S. are unwilling to move on to screw cap wine so I would be worried about what might here for it right now. Most still have that hobo quality i believe. If you want to buy a bottle of wine to drink in a month, most anything will do. Most wines dont keep and are not meant to be kept for long periods of time. Buy a nice $12 Pino and enjoy.
In Australia and the US more and more wines are switching to screwcaps. Many wine enthusiasts frown on the screwcap. Breaks tradition. However it is better when it comes to preventing spoilage. A country like France that is somewhat snobby about their wines would most likely laugh at wines using a screwcap, however some very good wines these days use them.
Just saw this, and I'll add my two cents. Wine is a hobby of mine. Not just drinking to drink, but finding the good stuff at reasonable prices. Gambling supplements my wine habit. When I win, the profits go to wine. Therefore...
Screw caps are not bad. The reason some wineries are going to screw caps is because the cork supply is dwindling and the quality is getting poor. It used to be 1 bottle out of a case had a chance to be "corked" or become vinegar because of interaction with oxygen. Now it's more like 2 bottles in a case. Bad cork allows air to enter the bottle, which turns the wine bad.
Screw caps don't have quality issues, therefore oxygen doesn't mix with the wine. The same is true with plastic corks.
There is, however, an advantage to real cork. A miniscule amount of air allows a wine to age. Red wines meant to age still need real cork to reach optimal drinking status. That's why you see screw caps and plastic corks on mainly white wines and cheap reds.
So if you're looking for an everyday drinking wine that you plan on drinking in the next year, maybe even two, don't be afraid of a screw cap or a plastic cork. It doesn't change the quality of the liquid inside. But if you're looking for expensive win to set down for 5-10 years, it better have a real cork in it. Otherwise you'll open that wine in 2016 and it will still taste as if it were bottled last month.
Screw caps are not bad. The reason some wineries are going to screw caps is because the cork supply is dwindling and the quality is getting poor. It used to be 1 bottle out of a case had a chance to be "corked" or become vinegar because of interaction with oxygen. Now it's more like 2 bottles in a case. Bad cork allows air to enter the bottle, which turns the wine bad.
Screw caps don't have quality issues, therefore oxygen doesn't mix with the wine. The same is true with plastic corks.
There is, however, an advantage to real cork. A miniscule amount of air allows a wine to age. Red wines meant to age still need real cork to reach optimal drinking status. That's why you see screw caps and plastic corks on mainly white wines and cheap reds.
So if you're looking for an everyday drinking wine that you plan on drinking in the next year, maybe even two, don't be afraid of a screw cap or a plastic cork. It doesn't change the quality of the liquid inside. But if you're looking for expensive win to set down for 5-10 years, it better have a real cork in it. Otherwise you'll open that wine in 2016 and it will still taste as if it were bottled last month.
Another advantage to plastic corks for the winemaker is that they're cheaper and the don't have availability issues like they do with real cork from time to time.
If your wine tastes tend more toward Thunderbird, Night Train and MD 20/20 check out this hilarious website:
http://www.bumwine.com/
If your wine tastes tend more toward Thunderbird, Night Train and MD 20/20 check out this hilarious website:
http://www.bumwine.com/
As a rule, seek out a bottle with a cork. That said, one of the nicest wines I've ever had (been a while though) is Taylor Lake Country White/Gold. From upstate NY I think, had a twist off metal cap but was superb! Tried this for first time while I was becoming a semi-connoissieur? of white wines and it held up to any other white that cost 5x as much. But had many others that were screw caps and not even close.
