Wine Blog ... Screw top wine is here to stay, but is it ready for the big time?

Screw top wine is here to stay, but is it ready for the big time?

Post category: Our Wine Blog • Pass the Sniff Test? • Random Musings and Rants
by Neil on October 8, 2008

I have been following closure debate for many years. Several years ago, Murphy Goode began offering a valued priced, screw top series, called Tin Roof. We tried their Sauvignon Blanc and found an unassuming drinkable wine that we served several times that year.

Screw tops seem to offer a number of advantages.

First, they eliminate the problem of cork taint. After years of research and investigation, the cause of cork taint is not clear; however, what is clear is that somewhere between 2% and 8% of all wine sealed with a cork are affected. Screw tops eliminate this problem, and I for one think that is great. I have opened many bottles of wine that were corked, and it always seems to happen at the worst time like birthday celebrations or anniversary dinners.

Secondly, there is environment impact of the various closures. I have not seen definitive data, but it is argued that the screw top is greener than natural or synthetic corks.

Finally, screw top bottles are easier to open even if they are not as romantic as bottles sealed with a cork.

So what could possibly be wrong with screw tops? I am not sure the approach is inherently flawed, but I have noticed that some bottles sealed with screw tops are beginning to show some undesirable characteristics.

I had six bottles of New Zealand Pinot Noirs in my cellar. The bottles were sent by a friend in anticipation of his visit. Unfortunately, the visit was postponed for two years, but he did finally make it last week. Over the course of his visit we opened all six bottles of wine. Three of the bottles were sealed with a traditional cork closure, while the other three were sealed with twist-off closures.

The interesting thing is that all three bottles that were sealed with a cork showed well, and all three of the bottles sealed with a twist-off showed unpleasant odors and tastes, something of a Band-Aid sort of thing. Decanting the wines helped some, but none of the wines seemed to be able to overcome the closure.

The problem does not seem to extend to white wine. I have stored white wines bottled with twist-off closures for more than two years, and when they were opened, they showed quite well.

To see if others have noticed a problem with red wines and screw tops, I have talked with several experienced wine professionals. Everyone reported problems with some red wines sealed with twist-off tops. In general, people noticed unpleasant aromas when the bottle was first opened and a loss of complexity or refinement compared to previous years when corks were used. The major flaws reported were “reductive” characteristics and the tendency to evoke the olfactory image of a Band-Aid.

As the number of wines with screw top closures increase, drinkers will notice a few differences in their favorite red wines if they make the shift to screw top. I believe the wine industry will eventually figure out how to overcome these problems, but in the meantime, screw tops may not be the only thing getting twisted-off.