Cork or cap?

Question

I'e heard from some very influencial wine experts & critics that many of the better wine prducers world wide will be going over to air tight caps & ditching the less efficient cork. I'll bet the wine snobs will be screaming about this bit of news. It is only logical that the porous cork is only good if the wine is placed on its side & even then it will slowly decompose. Chateau Mouton Rothschilde et. al. with plastic caps??? Whaddaya think?

After Malvern Hill Pres. Lincoln visited with Gens. Mc Clellen & Sumner as well as Col. Nugent (Commander of the Irish Brigade.)` A Lt. James. M. Birmingham, Adjutant of the 88th N. Y. came from a swim in the James R. & with his underwear drying on his body saw them talking. He ducked behind some cover to eavesdrop in time to see & hear Pres. Lincoln (overcome with emotion at the bravery & sacrifice of the Irish Brigade.) as he lifted a corner of the 69th N. Y.'s flag, kissed it & said "God bless this Irish flag" From Joseph Bilby's book "Remember Fontenoy" on the Irish Brigade Lancaster Civil War Round Table Website

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Carl Speros webmaster.

Anthony Hoare · Accepted Answer

hello E CarlFirstly, could I ask you please to keep your sig to the W3Wrecomnended limits of 3 lines max. I pay to get internet access and just as I don't enjoy downloading (atmy expense) HTML in news and emails I also don't want to read 11 linesof sig every time you post. This is a subject that's been done to death here and elsewhere on manyoccasions. Corks aren't less efficient, they are prone to TCAcontamination and that spoils the wine.Not exactly news.All the best Ian(To reply by email PLEASE don't use "Reply to" but use my name at  Thanks.

Michael Pronay · Answer

Nobody serious talks about plastic caps (extruded or molded sythetic stoppers) for anything else than everyday wine to be consumed fast.

For Mouton & co. serious alternatives comprise screwcaps ("Stelvin"), crown caps ("Stainless Cap"), or glass stoppers ("Vino-Lok").

M.

Henry Lai · Answer

There ample proof that corks allow fine wines to age by slowly allowing air to enter the bottle. There is no proof that the plastic caps will allow a wine to age. By all means, I think plastic caps, screw caps, etc. should be used on wine meant for early drinking. There's no point in using cork for these kinds of wines.

A friend informs me that in Switzerland, many of the very good quality white wines meant for current consumption are sold with screw caps.

pavane · Answer

You will, of course, kindly cite the "ample proof" of this assertion.pavane

Mike Tommasi · Answer

Yes, I would like to see it too.

Dana Myers · Answer

Could you cite some of this "ample proof"?I can believe that air may enter *around* the corkwhen the bottle is temperature-cycled, but I'mquite doubtful that air permeates the actual cork.Dana

Michael Pronay · Answer

And how about champagne corks retaining bubbles for decades - evenunder pressure? M.

Dana Myers · Answer

Damn, are you going to confuse the issue with real scientific observations? :-)

Don't feel too bad. Civil War Carl hasn't yet offered a single WA PN that might be superior to most CA Pinot Noir, which might mean he's just winding us all up.

Dana

Mike Tommasi · Answer

Exactly.

But there is a trend in sommelier schools in France and Italy to propagatre the myth of cork stoppers not being hermetic and allowing some mysteryious gas echanges. Why these gases would move around, and according to what physical principle, nobody ever explains.

A good cork is a hermetic seal.

Mike

Michael Pronay · Answer

Psssshhhht! Don't wake-up the cork permeability fraction ...M.

Cork or cap?

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