Most people associate screwtops with being cheap and cheerful.
They’re wrong.
Here’s why.
In the early 1970s, a French company introduced a screw-cap seal for their budget brands.
The general public then began linking screwtops with low-end goods.
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Although cork has been the go-to seal for wine for about 400 years, it’s not without its flaws.
Cork has two major faults, both a consequence of being an organic product.
Over time, continual exposure to moisture due to a horizontally placed bottle causes the cork to gradually soften and break apart upon removal.
Secondly, it becomes susceptible to undesirable flavours, particularly Trichloroanisole (TCA), which seeps unpleasant off-notes into the wine.
Corks, which have been the go-to material for more than 400 years, vary in quality from “ultra-premium” to “anything will do.” Quality control is exceptionally challenging as you can imagine.
It’s a huge problem.
As much as 7% of all wines sold in UK, Canadian and US markets are returned due to “cork taint”, costing the industry an estimated $10 billion per year worldwide. Not to mention a much more expensive loss of face in the eyes of consumers, collectors, and smart wine investors.
Australia and New Zealand began experimenting with screw top seals in the 1990s, and – get this – after just three years, the results were so extraordinarily good that almost all wines in those markets are now sealed this way.
Rejection levels for TCA taint are now virtually eliminated.
What does this mean to you?
All good, we assure you.
The team at Oeno have personally sampled a number of screw top wines and been duly impressed.
The 2020 Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay comes to mind.
Wine critics such as Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate) has rated it 96 points out of 100 and we’ve got a super allotment available right now.
Give us a call, or leave your contact details if you’d like to know more.
