Metal screw tops, far from being a harbinger of the end of western civilization, may actually be good for the wine. Forget reality television or widespread addiction to text messaging. For many wine purist's it's the decline of the traditional cork that signals societal doom. Yet even the most passionate advocates of cork- the folks whose ears prick up at that lovely "pop" will admit that screw caps are kinder to wine.
Winemaker's worldwide are embracing this alternative to corks. From 300 million screw-top bottles in 2003 to some 2 billion now, the trend is evident. For centuries winemakers have sealed bottles with cork, which comes from the bark of cork oak trees in Portugal, Spain and North Africa. Tradition has it that cork helps wine age, but many experts dispute that. What's known is that about 7% of all wine sealed with natural cork ends up becoming "corked" Corked wine, or wine with taint occurs when Trichloroansole (TCA) a compound from the Chlorine bleach used in cork manufacture, reacts with mold already present in the cork. It causes wine to taste and smell like wet cardboard. It's safe to drink, who'd want to? Bottom line: natural cork can compromise quality.
On the other hand, alluminum-alloy screw tops provide a tight seal, preventing tiny amounts of air from seeping in and changing the wine. What's more, they help control costs. A bottler spends just 15 cents on each closure, while cork costs 50 cents per bottle. So what's the problem? Perception. For 30 years twist-off caps have been associated with cheap wines. So when a $40 Burgundy comes with a screw cap, consumers do a double take. Today wines from New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and increasingly France and the United States, are topped with twist-offs. They eliminate wrestling with a corkscrew or finding cork bits in your wineglass, and they make bottles easier to reseal.
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