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I am feeling a lot less cranky than when I last wrote. There seems to be a marked increase in the number of people paying with cash at the coffee counter. On the downside, I still witness far too many people whose lips move as they read coffee menu boards (Hooked on Phonics flunk outs?). It's sad to see so many Portlanders struggle with the notions of tall, small, and 8 ounce cups, not to mention the thornily difficult "doppio"! (I am sounding cranky again, perhaps a function of getting old or reading the newspaper.)
This week we turn our attention to screwcaps.
You may have noticed an increase in the number of wine bottles with screwcaps on the shelves. They are most common on wines from New Zealand and Australia. A few Oregon and California producers are moving to screwcaps on some of their wines. Some wineries, Plumpjack for example, charge more for their top of the line wine in a screwcap than for the same wine in a cork-finished bottle.
So what is this all about?
The issue is trying to eliminate cork taint, or 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) that gives wine a musty, wet concrete smell and taste; an odor not unlike the one my little terrier exudes after she chases sticks into the Willamette. TCA can find itself in bottles of wine not only through the medium of the cork (the main source of cork taint) but can be picked up anywhere along the winemaking process.
Screwcaps are currently being touted as the solution to this expensive and frustrating problem. Specifically, wines sealed with a StelvinTM or screwcap closure are not susceptible to "corkiness". In addition, extensive research shows that the screwcap closure makes a nearly perfect airtight seal, more airtight than a cork.
Over the last couple of years many in the wine industry, especially in New Zealand and Australia. The popular (read lame) wine press and anyone with a MW or MS after their name, have been promoting wine in screwcap bottles. We at Guy du Vin firmly believe that anytime all those groups start speaking with one voice, something is screwy, literally. It's a sure sign that there is probably more to the story.
The bottom line is we hate corked wine, but we think that the industry has been a little too far out ahead of the consumer on this issue. Wine producers have spent the last 30 years telling people that wine with a screwcap (or in a bag in the box - see previous article) is not worth drinking. Now you are supposed to forget everything you've been told.
We acknowledge that screwcaps are easy to operate and seem to work well for wines one wants to drink while both the wine (and the drinker) are young. We also note that screwcaps make charging corkage fees in restaurants almost impossible (although you may now get charged a "screwing fee" which sounds a lot more interesting - although possibly illegal in most states). But, there is just nothing romantic, visually pleasing, or pleasant about a screwcap and its chiropractic, neck cracking sound as it is opened. Bon appetit!
And most importantly, it turns out that screwcaps may have their own set of "taint" issues. After a period of time in the bottle, some wines can develop a reduced aroma. Reduction is a wine fault that permanently taints wine with odor characteristics of rubber, burned match, cabbage, or rotten eggs. Some studies now show that reduction is fairly common in wines bottled under screwcap closures. This suggests that screwcaps' air tightness may be a primary factor in the development of reduced characteristics in wine over time.
In an interesting article published by Australian Gourmet Traveler WINE in October 2003, they state:
"If ongoing studies continue to bear these findings out, this suggests cellared wine could turn into little time bombs waiting to go off years into the future. Where previously an old case of Chateau Lafite might have suffered a corked wine or two down the track, the uniformity of product promised by screwcaps could just as easily render a whole case of well aged, undrinkably, stinky claret."
There is obviously more work to be done on this issue, so we at Guy du Vin suggest a grain of salt taken with every endorsement of screwcaps or cork or just about any other wine closure. (And as we stated a few weeks ago, don't buy wine and then forget about it - be sure to taste a bottle every few months and see how it is developing.) Screwcaps may not be the panacea they are made out to be. In the meantime, don't hesitate to return a faulty wine with a screwcap just like you would return any corked wine. Bad wine is bad wine, so don't get screwed.
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