Screw Top Bottles of Wine

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There was an article in Costco this month about screwtops vs. corks.

The article did not cover plastic corks under their discussion of corks. I've seen quite a few using plastic corks lately. Has plastic corks gone out of fashion even before they caught on. Were plastic corks passed over for screw tops for some reason?

Dee Dee

That was an entertaining video! LOL. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go for screw caps and avoid corked wine?

Have you tried to get one off of a corkscrew? Damn near impossible!

Hmm. DH always does the uncorkings. I just asked him and he said that he saw a difference in uncorking the plastic corks. He said, "no."

Here is the corkscrew he normally uses.

Dee Dee

Many, and some are quite outstanding. It's increasingly popular in New Zealand and Australia, so if you buy wines from there, you're more than likely to find them under the Stelvin screwcaps. A lot of bigger name producers there are switching to it (the likes of Dead Arm, Glaetzer and co. are now starting to bottle some of their offerings under screwcap - even if not all of their flagship/main wines are going under that), and I've now even started seeing some very good German bottlings under screwcap.

Another, to my mind more significant, problem with plastic corks is that they have been shown to lead to premature oxidation of wines (the plastic reacts with the sulfites used to prevent the oxidation of the wine). What that means in practical terms is that one should be very wary of cellaring any wine stored under plastic cork for more than a few years.

Mark Lipton

"Salil" wrote .................

Yes, even such iconic brands like Cloudy Bay are bottling ALL their wines (Sauvignon Blanc; Chardonnay; Pinot Noir etc) under Stelvin screwcaps - they have been doing this for some years for the domestic market, but because of demands from their overseas distributors, have ditched cork entirely (excepting their Pelorus Methode Traditional bubbly)

st.helier

Yup, and it makes life much easier - a twist-off screwcap is easier to take off and put back on than a cork, and the talk about quality's a red herring. If it does have any correlation to closure type, then I'd like to find one Sauvignon Blanc from any place under cork that can outdo the Cloudy Bay or Lawson's Dry Hills (IMO another one of New Zealand's finest - and they also put all their wines under screwcap) releases.

Mark, thanks for further clarification on plastic corks.

Regarding a twist-off screwcap being easier to take off is certainly appreciated, but wouldn't you want to pump out the air to save the quality? I usually pump out the air -- even FoodSaver has an air vacuum pump for those who can't pump easily. Or do you think it unneccessary. Dee

I rebottle leftover wine in a smaller bottle, filled to the brim. I've kept such bottles in the fridge for a month or more with no degradation. I could never do that with any other storage method.

Jose

That can get you another couple days at most in my opinion. I rarely would have an open bottle that long but others may.

I normally don't keep wine for more than a day or two. And even then, I've rarely found it being adversely affected if there's a bit of air in the bottle, but I store it in the fridge overnight/for a full day.

Many wines will actually be better after a day. I had an interesting visit at PlumpJack Winery in Napa. He poured us a Cab and we tasted and is was very nice. Then he poured another Cab to try. It was far better so I asked what Cab we were trying. He said same one, just opened yesterday.

I will miss my corks, BUT, Conundrum is my "house white." Over the years, I was averaging 1 "corked" btl./1.5 cases of wine. Since they went Stelvin, I have yet to return 1 btl. and that's about 2.5 years.

Hunt

It's been years since I had a single corked bottle. I have had a few bottles that were flat. Most likely sitting somewhere way too hot which is a bit common here in Arizona. Screw tops wouldnt help that.

Yes, I've done that too, but for me, I don't like washing/dishwashing bottles. I know that it works, tho. If I open a bottle today, then I vacuum it, just in case we don't finish it the next day, but for certain it will be drunk the 3rd day. Basically, we drink wine with meals, not for entertainment; although I can't say anything against that either. Dee

I've found it often depends on what's being drunk. With a lot of reds (particularly the big concentrated Aussies), they tend to soften a little bit after some time with a little air in the bottle. With aromatic whites, I find them most enjoyable (especially when young) right when they're opened after being chilled. Rieslings and most Sauvignon Blancs usually hold up well over a day or two, but there's a vibrant, crisp element to them that shows really well right after they're opened.

Yes, but do you have a meal that's appropriate for a given wine three days in a row? I have a gewurtztraminner in the fridge we'll finish today; the last time we had a good gewurtz meal was a month ago. It's sealed in a half bottle with no ullage; I expect it to be perfect.

Jose