Wine Screw Caps Do Not Mean Cheap Wine

Ep 148

Screw caps have a bad reputation in the wine world, but that reputation is mostly undeserved!

In this episode of my wine mythbusters mini-series I break down the myth that screw caps automatically mean cheap wine and explain where that belief came from in the first place. From the romance of popping a cork to the belief that wine needs it to age, this episode breaks down why cork became the gold standard and why that thinking is outdated.

You’ll learn how cork and screw caps actually differ when it comes to oxygen exposure, aging potential, and consistency. And I dive into wine faults like cork taint, why regions like New Zealand and Australia led the screw cap shift, and how modern screw cap technology gives winemakers more control than ever.

So, if you have ever avoided a bottle of wine simply because it had a screw cap, this episode will help you stop judging a wine bottle by its cap and focus on what actually matters.

Thank you to our exclusive sponsor, Last Bottle, for sponsoring this episode. Go to www.lastbottlewines.com and use code CORKANDFIZZ for 10% off your order! (And be sure to sign up for their mailing list so you never miss a bottle!)

Episode Highlights:

• Why screw caps got a bad reputation
• Where the cheap wine myth started
• Cork vs screw cap aging differences
• What cork taint really is
• Why winemakers prefer screw caps
• How screw caps control oxygen
• What research shows about wine aging
• When screw caps make more sense

Transcript

0:00

If you love wine but hate overpaying, listen up. Today's sponsor, Last Bottle Wines, drops one deeply discounted sommelier picked wine every single day. I'll tell you why I'm obsessed later in the episode, but for now, head to lastbottlewines.com and use code corkandfizz for 10% off. Interested in learning about wine but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. I'm your host, Hailey Bohlman, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle based wine tasting business Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight, and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total cork dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass and let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. Welcome to the next episode of my Myth Busters miniseries where I debunk wine myths new and old and give you the straight facts. Okay. Plus a couple of my own opinions here and there. This is my podcast after all. Today's myth that we are going to be busting is that screw caps mean a cheap wine. And this is where we're talking about where the closure on the top of the wine bottle is a cap that you can screw off rather than a cork. And I'm going to prove to you why that does not mean if it has a screw cap, that it is a cheap wine. And just a heads up, these episodes may be a little shorter than normal. So if you're missing hearing my voice and this just isn't enough for you, you can always check out my backlog of over a hundred episodes. Okay, let's talk about this myth a little bit and where it comes from. Why do we believe that a wine bottle with a screw cap means a cheaper wine than a bottle with a cork? Honestly, some of it comes down to there is something romantic about the pop of a cork when opening a bottle of wine. Though I have to say I'm starting to find the sound of a screw cap wine cracking open. You know, you're cracking open a cold one for, you know, nice bottle of beer. I feel like cracking open a bottle of wine with a screw cap is really, really satisfying. But the thing is it's not traditional. I mean, uncorking a bottle of wine is so traditional that it is part of the theater of wine service. Right? When somebody comes out and shows you a bottle, you know, they uncork it. You know, they are there with the corkscrew, taking the cork out and then they set the cork down on a little thing for you, right? I mean, this is just all part of the service. And if all the server had to do was just open your bottle via a screw cap, I guess it doesn't have quite, you know, I can admit it does not have quite the same vibe. The other reason I think that people think a screw cap means it's a cheaper wine is that they don't think that the screw cap doesn't allow the wine to age. But this isn't true. The thing is, corks are porous and this means that little bits of oxygen can get in through the cork. And this is one of the reasons why they chose corks to seal bottles of wine in the first place. During aging, you want that slow micro oxygenization to help stabilize the color of the wine and soften the tannins. This is essentially what makes a wine capable of changing flavor after you have it in the bottle. Historically, a lot of wines that were bottled under screw caps were meant to be drunk young, so they weren't worried about aging and that's how they got around this. But more and more producers are choosing to use screw caps even for their age worthy wines. And I'm going to talk about this later when we go through the facts that screw caps do actually let in oxygen. And they might, they might be even better and more reliable than a cork at letting in oxygen. So stick around. I'll talk to you more about that. Just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under$15. Head to corkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Now let's get back to the show. Okay, so let's, let's move on to the facts now. And of course, you know, I gotta give you a little history. So while screw caps are popular today, they actually go way back. They may seem like a fairly modern invention. And honestly, for how old wine is yes, indeed. They are a pretty modern invention, but they're not as modern as you think. They were actually first invented in France in the 60s. They were the brainchild of a French company originally called Le Bouchage. Probably not saying that right, but translated literally, it meant the mechanical closure. They were commissioned to create this closure in 1964 by an Australian named Peter Wall. He was then of Yalumba Winery, if you've heard of it. This screw cap was then patented as the Stelvan. And so that's what you'll hear a lot of wine experts and wine people. It's the more technological, probably more accurate term other than screw cap is it's called the Stelvan. And here's the thing. If you know wine history, you know that France is the motherland of wine. So who are we to argue with people of France about what can be used to close a bottle of wine? Now, there are a few reasons why screw caps are becoming more mainstream today. First, they're easier to open. And since you can just screw the cap back on, they're also easier to store in your fridge if you don't drink the whole bottle. Second, winemakers and importers are choosing screw caps over corks because there are fewer faults that can occur in the wine as opposed to corks. A cork can cause what we call corked wine, and this refers to wine that has been contaminated by a chemical called tca. There's a fancy long name. I'm not even gonna bother right now with that because I can't say words, but the chemical is called tca. This chemical compound, which is caused by mold in the corks or wood, unpleasantly alters a wine's scent, aromas, and flavors to the point that it cannot be drunk because of that strong, not good cork taste. This is actually why when you order a bottle of wine at a restaurant, they bring it out to you and have you taste a little bit of it. The most likely fault that is in that wine that you'd find is that it could be corked. And so they want you to try a little bit and make sure that this has not happened with that wine. So this tca, it sometimes comes from not good quality cork, but other times there is really no good reason that this cork taint happens. And you may notice that screw caps are especially popular in New Zealand and Australian wines. And this is because those regions were often given the worst corks during the cork shortage. That happened sometime after. I want to say it was in the 70s or the 80s, but basically, they had this huge cork shortage. And cork is used in more things than just wine bottles. And so the corks that New Zealand and Australia would order for their wine were often of the worst quality. And so they said, screw this, we are not doing that. They had a lot of problems with tca and so they made the switch to screw cap, and they've never looked back. Now, speaking of control, winemakers also like screw caps because they give them more control. Remember when I said that screw caps might actually be better than corks at controlling the amount of oxygen and allowing the wine to age? This is what I mean by that. One of the major concerns for using a cork versus screw cap is that a cork is porous and it lets in oxygen. And people thought that screw caps couldn't do this. It was totally, you know, the wine would turn reductive, it wouldn't have any oxygen, it couldn't age. But that is not true. And in fact, the technology of screw caps have evolved so much that winemakers can actually select a screw cap based on how much oxygen is let in via the ceiling inserts. And ceiling, as in like S E, A L. I realize when I say that I sound like I'm talking about like the ceiling of a house, the ceiling insert. So how that screw cap is, is sealed. And there are actually several variations, largely differentiated by the liner that is inside the cap itself. Some are designed for near zero oxygen ingress, so basically no oxygen gets in, whereas other ones allow for a controlled, small amount of oxygen exchange. And in general, because there's more control over this than with cork, where you really don't get a choice, it's kind of just like how much oxygen that cork lets in. The wines under screw cap age slower than those bottled with a cork, so they keep a lot of their fresh, fruity notes for longer and there's less bottle variation. And if you're still not convinced, screw caps, the Stelvan has been around for quite a while and they've been able to do quite a few research studies on their screw cap versus the cork or other options. Who doesn't want incredible wine for a steal? Today's podcast is brought to you by Last Bottle Wines, a Napa Valley based online wine shop with a super fun twist. Some of the best bottles I've ever opened, AKA the ones my friends still talk about to this day, came from last bottle. And I love when they say this is incredible. And I get to reply, yup, and it's usually an $80 wine. I only paid 25 at last bottle wines. They offer just one hand picked wine per day until it sells out. New day, new wine. It's like a fun little daily surprise. And the deals wild. We're talking 30 to 80% off retail, so you can try amazing bottles without the scary price tag. Their team tastes hundreds of wines every week, so you know what you see is worth grabbing. There's no subscription, no minimums, and free ground shipping. When you buy six or more bottles, use code corkandfizz for 10% off and go see today's wine@lastbottlewines.com so I found one study in 2009 where researchers evaluated how different closures impacted the aroma, color, and flavor of a Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux over two years of aging. And there were meaningful differences found between the closures with different levels of oxygen ingress. So the researchers found that the wines that were sealed under a sarin tin screw cap, which is almost airtight, this is one where they're trying to get the least amount. They don't want any oxygen coming in. This one had the slowest rate of browning, which is usually a proxy for oxidation. Think like, if you set like you took a bite of an apple and then you set it on the counter and the inside of that apple will start to turn brown. That's because of the oxygen. Same thing happens with a white wine. This airtight seal also caused the wine to have the greatest level of antioxidants and theols, which basically provide aroma and flavor, but also high levels of hydrogen sulfide, which resulted in a kind of reduced character. If you've ever opened a bottle of wine and it smells like either like matchsticks or worse, rotten eggs, this is from reduction and it's from a high level of hydrogen sulfide. Good news is if you open that bottle and you let it breathe for a little bit, it almost always waves off. But it can be a little unfortunate at the beginning. So that was with like the, the super sealed tight, barely any oxygen getting in. Now, the wines that were sealed with both corks and serra nex screw caps, which allow a little bit more oxygen, actually showed a similar level of oxidization, but with less of the reduction. And then, interestingly enough, synthetic corks, which look like corks but aren't made with corks from an actual tree, these resulted in oxidized wine. So the wine actually did start to turn brown. It lost a lot of its fruit flavor and was not as fresh. And this was only in two years. So it's amazing what difference it makes. But if you noticed the main difference was with a synthetic cork, using a screw cap, whether it's the sarin tin or the sarin X versus a cork, showed about the same result in the wine. And so with all that said, I hope you will consider that a screw cap on a bottle of wine does not mean anything other than the fact that it's easy to open, easy to close, and great for you to take on a picnic. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. If you loved it as much as I did, I would so appreciate if you could take a second to rate it and leave a review if you and of course share it with another wine lover in your life. If you want to become an even bigger supporter of the podcast and support me financially in producing this show, you can become a paid supporter. Look for the link in the show notes and basically all this is is a subscription of $10 or less a month and that money goes directly into the podcast and allowing me to create these episodes weekly for you. In next week's episode, we are talking food and wine pairings and it's a total myth that you need to always pair red wine with meat and white wine with fish. Thanks again for listening and if you want to learn more about wine, come follow me orkandfizz on Instagram Cheers.