For many, the debate rages on: The ideal wine-stopper — cork or screw top? Call it a culture clash or on a higher level, a potential change in wine consumption in America. And as a benefit, along with the controversy
For many, the debate rages on: The ideal wine-stopper — cork or screw top? Call it a culture clash or on a higher level, a potential change in wine consumption in America. And as a benefit, along with the controversy comes the opportunity to widen wine’s appeal to the general public.
Cork as a topic has remained in the forefront of wine news for the last decade. But significant acceptance — even support — has appeared for synthetic wine stoppers that look like corks. There is a growing movement as well for doing away with corks or synthetic stoppers altogether and finishing bottles off with screw tops.
Due to negative associations with the ‘wine culture’ those unfamiliar with wine have held the drink at a distance. Snob appeal has played a big role in this way of thinking. The earliest of the key components in the wine experience is that unmistakable sound of the cork popping from the bottle. It is distinct and unique, like the clink of crystal flutes or the clap of thunder on a hot summer’s evening. The sound defies mere words — it must be sensed to be fully appreciated. The popping cork evokes expectation; it separates wine from every other beverage.
This is part of the reason for the difficulty in imaging the cork’s pop as being able to be replaced by the snap-and-screw or the plastic-on-glass grind of a screw top. The ritual and ceremony that comes with the uncorking of the bottle is all part of the experience.
In recent years wine makers have experimented with synthetic products molded to the shape of a cork. They have been proven effective — to a point — in the case of keeping air from reaching the wine inside the bottle. The downside of these synthetic corks, though, seems to be the trouble in removing the corks from the bottle.
The major negative association with corks is the possible ruination of the wine inside. The contaminant TCA (trichloroanisole) may breed in the cork and produce a musty, dank taste and aroma in the wine. The term put to this is “corked.” The bacteria in the cork unintentionally created during the cork making process may pass into the wine and destroy its aroma, bouquet, and taste. At present, it is still unknown why or how this takes place. TCA is often referred to as “cork taint,” but this is a misnomer. The cork itself does not affect the wine. It is the possible contaminant of the cork with the TCA that may make its way into the wine and potentially spoil the bottle. The percentage of cork taint is small; estimates from wine studies put it at around two to six percent. Though sustainable cork harvesting is currently experiencing one of the most exceptional yields in the past decade (cork tree maturity is usually about twenty five years) it is still as with many things in nature, cyclical.
Image and tradition are likely what will keep corks as the stoppers of choice for most wine consumers. The battle over how best to stop a wine will go on, with positives and negatives on both sides of the issue. But the mentality of the screw top closure for wine will remain. Its association with cheap wine from brown paper bags will cast its pall with the aficionado. To choose screw caps or corks is a personal issue, though screw tops have gained appeal and for some have proven a more reliable sealant.
Since the majority of wine consumed in America is drunk within eight hours of its purchase, to cork or to screw remains subjective. The issue has its proponents and detractors on both sides. But wine drinkers should put their expectation on what’s inside the bottle and not on how it’s sealed.
