New Process eliminates Cort Taint-TCA

Having done a side by side tasting of Stelvin(screwcap) and cork closure as part of an oenology degree, there is a significant difference in the aroma and taste of a wine. Wine under stelving, is more aromatic and lifted and intense in flavour, while cork does appear to dull the wine slightly. However stelvin is unforgiving if there is even the slightest hint of fault, while cork will mask it to a degree. In terms of cork taint, the whole industry should go under Diam, which guarantees its corks to have the level of TCA present well below detetction threshold, through the realease of haloanisoles which are responsible for TCA.

For a good wine, closure isn't a selling point for me. I like good wine, be it under cork or stelvin

Clare, I had bought the 1997 Plumpjack Cabernet. They offered it with a cork and stelvin.

I found the stelvin in as good. I cannot explain why. The wine with the cork was better for me.

To me this simply speaks for how they aged. It did age differently.

I appreciate your posting. Perhaps I am not that sensitive to TCA...but the reality is....I don't think all wine problems are from the cork...many in this group think its the perfect solution.

Stelvin, are bringing out a new screwcap which allows similar amounts of oxygen ingress as cork does, thus mimicking the effect of age that cork has. The Australian Wine Research Institute has done studies on cork and and stelvin in terms of ageing potential etc. If you look up their website, the paper should be fairly easy to find if you are interested in further information about cork and screwcaps.

However in saying that i will say i like the traditional feel a cork has.

Oxigen ingress through bark corks vary in a magnitude of 3 ...

... as this Australian study recently confirmed:

or

There isn't even consensus about which oxygen ingress rate is the best.

M.