SCREW CAP CLOSURES (Click here to read more)

Screw cap closures are increasingly replacing traditional corks, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. Do n't be fooled into thinking that a screw cap closure indicates a cheaper wine - you would be completely wrong. Other synthetic closures, such as plastic, are usually inferior and often indicate a lower quality wine. But screw caps are now being used by many of the best wineries in Australia and New Zealand - including the Worldwide-acclaimed Voyager and Palliser Estates, whose wines are among our best.
Read on for more information including pros and cons.

Screw cap closures have been introduced by many wineries in the last few years. This is to counteract the risks of cork taint. How much wine is spoiled by cork taint? Well, estimates vary greatly according to the winery and /or the person you talk to, anything from 3-10%. Our personal experience is that it is at the bottom end of that range.
There are varying degrees of cork taint. Whilst a badly corked wine will be obvious to most/all, some cork taint is only detected by wine lovers/experts with a particularly sharp nose/palate.
We believe that some white wines benefit from screw caps, particularly fresh, more acidic, vibrant wines which are designed more for early drinking. That includes Sauvignon Blanc. But many fine wines, say £8 plus, benefit from ageing in the bottle - particularly reds. This is thought to require a cork closure, as that allows in the tiny degree of oxygen that enables enzymes to work within the wine. So the jury is still out on whether screw caps have a net benefit for red wines requiring bottle-ageing. And we may never know the answer with real certainty, as it would require many years of cellaring the same wines in the two types of closure. We are not aware that any of the grand chateaux in Bordeaux are trialling closures in this way, so a preference for cork is likely to remain for fine red wine.
In the meantime, we should not forget that drinking wine is an occasion. For many of us, the traditional uncorking of a wine bottle, and the pop as the cork is drawn, is an important element of that sense of occasion.