Top French producers gun for screwcap March 20, 2007
Natasha Hughes
France's top wine producers are putting their weight behind screwcap closures.
While the New World has adopted the Stelvin closure with enthusiasm, until recently French producers have lagged behind.
But at a seminar held yesterday at the Bordeaux plant owned by Alcan, manufacturer of the Stelvin closure, French winemakers explained the reasons behind their switch from cork to screwcap to an audience composed largely of sceptical French journalists.
Representatives from Domaine Albert Mann in Alsace, Boisset in Burgundy, André Lurton and Château Malartic-Lagravière in Bordeaux, Domaines Paul Mas from Languedoc, and Michel Laroche were present.
Journalists are not alone in their scepticism, said Nathalie Bergès-Boisset, PR director of Boisset, who explained that the French public as well as the wine trade were still reluctant to accept alternatives to cork.
'We need to get the supermarkets to put their weight behind the move to screwcap, but even before that happens the French press has to get behind screwcaps and explain it to the French public, who still associate the closures with cheap wine.'
Véronique Bouffard, communications director for André Lurton said, 'People in France still haven't understood why they should buy screwcap rather than cork.'
Jean-Claude Mas of Domaines Paul Mas isn't convinced, however, that explanations are what it will take to tip the balance of public opinion. 'I really think that the threshold moment will come once people have realised how practical screwcaps are,' he said.
Alcan Packaging's Bruno de Saizieu said it all came down to the buying power of the supermarkets.
'If we can find a supermarket that will be brave enough to put their weight behind screwcaps in the way that Tesco did in the UK, demand is bound to take off in France too,' he said.
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Without wanting to sound like a broken record...I would like to know if Alcan were questioned about the safety of their aluminium screw caps. Were they asked to provide independent research that aluminium from screw caps will not contaminate the wine and that should this happen the aluminium would not be detrimental to the health of anyone drinking aluminium-contaminated wine. Aluminium is inimical to life. Why do we want it in our wine?
Dr Christopher Exley, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
Screwcap or cork? I would like to see scientific, for example chemical, reasons why keep corks - is the wine in some way "breathing" and thus improving. Why not have Latour or Yquem put screwcaps on a few hundred bottles of the new vintage for research and particularly for expert tasting!? Once even beer bottles were sealed by corks!
Nils Stormby, MD
The purpose of the corks was to keep air out, not to let the wine breathe. There is no credible research to suggest that any air gets past the cork and the capsule. That is why they are both there. The screw caps are verified as providing a more reliable seal without the possibility of cork taint. I'm sure there were comments when people went to using corks rather than rags or a float of olive oil on top of the wine!
Harry Haff, Cordon College of Culinary Arts, Tucker, GA, USA
re Dr. Exley's comment about Aluminium cap
contamination. I thought the only thing 'touching' the wine was the poly cap liner. Is there evidence that Aluminium molecules pass through the liner? I don't have a problem with the screw caps, though I really like the VinoLocks, where the liner and glass is touching the wine.
The one thing that the industry can only guesstimate is the efficacy of these enclosures on a wine stored for 100 years. In that case my money would be on the
'natural' solution.
Chick Wells, Atlanta, GA, USA
I have had the opportunity to run several experiments with alternative closures and to blind taste over the past five years. Our initial trials included plastic artificial corks and were quickly disqualified as the wines exhibited immediate oxidation and off-flavors of plasticene. The Stelvin closures (both type-non breathable saranfilm and breathable Saranex) were put to trial with three unique single vineyard wines produced by Ridge. The control, to taste against, were sealed with natural 49mm cork from either Spain or Portugal. In these sorts of tastings, it requires experienced tasters who have no prior knowledge of what is being tasted, and thus a double blind tasting can be carried out successfully without prejudice. With five years of results we remain very much committed to continuing to use natural cork since the wines develop much greater complexity and drinking enjoyment compared to either form of screw cap. The wines we have included in these trials are very rich and structured wines that clearly improve with bottle age that the cork provides and the screw cap eliminates. In fact, the breathable Saranex screw cap causes a very quick decline of drinking enjoyment as the wine oxidizes and develops odd flavors of plastic-very similar to that of a plastic artificial cork. The non-breathable saranfilm simply shows no resolution of tannin structure but the fruit becomes oddly developed making the wine taste rather awkward.
Given the disappointing performance of either screw caps, we recently tested the VinoLock produced by Alcoa. There is no price difference between high quality 49mm cork and the vino-lock, both are approximately $0.58 per piece. However, in theory, one would not expect TCA contamination with the VinoLock. What we have discovered in our trials, within three months of bottling, the Vino-Lock failed to prevent oxidation. The technical seal on the Vino-Lock is an O-ring that locks within the high precision dimension of the bottle neck. In manufacturing bottles, the dimension tolerances can fluctuate radically. I don't see the Vino-Lock as having the design flexibility to meet the bottle manufacturing tolerance differences and maintain a tight seal to prevent oxidation. In consideration of the high cost for Vino-Lock compared to a natural cork, and yet failed results in protecting the wine, it is a very easy decision to eliminate it from further trials.
Being that Ridge is a traditional winery, adhering to a strict code of non-technological winemaking, we feel that wine is a natural product that should not come into contact with anything non-natural or derivatives of burning fossil fuels. We remain challenged by the decline of the cork forests and the affects of global warming on the Mediterranean basin which might ultimately cause further decline of cork production. The issue of cork taint today is directly related to man's abuse of the environment caused by pollution by halogenated pesticides. I am equally concerned, as all other fine wine consumers, that corks may eventually lead to increasingly higher levels of cork taint in wine and become obsolete. Other alternative natural closures need to be developed that can perform like quercus suber yet not contain TCA. This is where research money should be spent.
Eric Baugher, Vice President of Winemaking, RIDGE VINEYARDS, Cupertino, CA, USA
All the arguments against screwcaps fade to irrelevant when an expensive bottle is opened for an occasion and the bottle is corked. Cork taint, or 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, infects at least one out of ten bottles of wine. The great untutored public thinks it's the wine that is bad, not the taint, and thus sales are lost on a misperception.
Sympathies to my corkscrew collection which will be sold for nickles on the dollar at garage sales once practicality and ease of quality control is realized with screwcaps.
Anon
Contrary to popular belief and what most publications in the media today "advertise", TCA is present in less than 1% of bottled wines today according to several recent studies. The cork industry itself has woken up in the last few years and implemented processes that have lead to decreasing levels of tainted corks. However, few in the media are talking about this improvement. So, it is common to hear that 1 in every 10 bottles is tainted by TCA, but in reality it is less than 1 in 100 and decreasing.
Marco Montez
Truth be told, when screwcaps began their comeback campaign my first thought was, “cheap wine,” inexpensive and nothing to write home about. Well, that's simply not the case anymore. Respected producers like Kim Crawford, Penfolds, and Lindemans seal many of their wines with screw tops. Yeah, yeah…corks are steeped in tradition and they let wine breathe and age, but let's face it - not all wines need that much patience.
As long as I can easily get the bottle open, I don't care how they're sealed. I love how convenient it is to put the cap back on and not worry about any of the nectar of the gods spilling all over my refrigerator shelf. Of course, it's not too often that there are leftovers. But seriously, make it easier to open a stubborn, won't-budge screw cap (you know, the bottle that's not perforated enough to unscrew it without permanently changing the creases in your hand). Don't make me get out my Ginsu steak knife to saw through the perforations out of sheer desperation. Come on! There's no way I'm the only one out there who's ever done that!
Screw caps won't take over the world any time soon and consumers probably won't come around quickly, but if this is a better way, then screw it!
Vienna Girl
In response to several of the comments:
Cork does breathe minute quantities of air on a Micro oxygenation level i.e. a few mg/l p.a. This is one of the criticisms of natural cork: because it is is natural it has natural variability which accounts for the phenomena "random oxidation". - Some corks breathe alot more than others! Micro oxygenation is a technique invented by the French, but widely used in the New World, to soften red wines and increase their complexity whilst the wine is fermenting and ageing, in tank, prior to bottling. The technique was invented in response to knowing that wine barrels breathe but are expensive containers for ageing. We shouldn't be afraid of air per se. It is the amount of air that is critical.
With this in mind, and also in response to problems with cork taint, a French company invented a cork that is derived from natural cork but exhibits almost nil taint and controlled micro oxygenation. The company is Sabate and the cork is Diam. They also have a cork that is used in Champagne that does not breathe, for obvious reasons! If you look at their website they have in depth reviews by independent journalists about their product, including ones from the trade mag Harpers.
My winery was looking for a closure other than screwcap that performed to a high standard. We had had problems with natural cork and had tried other corks treated in some way but were not satisfied by their performance. It was through searching the web and reading the reviews, as above, that we decided to give Diam a go. Also the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has been conducting a long term trial on many different closures over various parameters and really the only one that satisfied all our criteria was Diam. Initially we only used Diam for our lower priced range, and cleanskins, but now use it for our reserve wines as well. We are very happy with Diam and urge other wineries to conduct similar trials. It is then down to the owner or PR department to convince their customers!
Incidently the ROTE or Stelvin closure was invented by a French company too (Pechiney)!!
James Tilbrook, Tilbrook Estate, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Imagine we were trying to move from screwcap to cork. The honest sales pitch: Unfortunately cork will spoil at least 5% of the wines, and you need a special tool to remove it. But it's natural and it makes a "pop" when you remove it!
Duncan Gardner, Wine Export, Australia
I find it amusing that you find it amusing that French wine journalists remained "sceptical" about screwcpas in what was obviously a propaganda junket organized by Alcan and not a "seminar". But then, again, British journalists have taken it upon themselves to become world ambassadors of the screwcap... As to the "arguments against the screwcap that fade to irrelevance when an expensive bottle is opened for an occasion and the bottle is corked", well, let's see how a first growth would fare after 20 years under screwcap and then let's talk. I am also surprised that while screwcap proponents will go to great length to explain the minutiae of how the "system" works, the undeniable progress the Portugese cork industry has made in quality control over the past decade is rarely ever mentioned. I don't want to sound dogmatic about cork, which has its drawbacks, but this pro-screwcap propaganda emanating essentially from the British press is beginning to backfire.
Constantine Stergides, President, Greek Circle of Wine Writers, Greece
As a brief reply to one of your correspondents and to someone who has emailed me directly about aluminium screw caps. The manufacturers will tell you that the wine does not come into contact with the aluminium metal and as such cannot contaminate the wine with aluminium. That is great! So show us all the evidence of this. We were told the same for 'lined' aluminium drinking cans. Independent research has informed us that drinks in aluminium cans are contaminated with aluminium. For example, there is more aluminium in Coke in an aluminium can than in a glass bottle. We were told that Tetra Pak would not release aluminium into the stored product. I have shown using Tetra Pak's own 'research' that products such as fruit juices and long life milk are contaminated with aluminium. We are now told, once again by an industry who has never done anything to determine the safety of their product to humans, that there can be no contamination of wine from aluminium screw caps. They cannot say this because they do not know and they refuse to do the research to find out because they are too concerned with what they will find out and its repercussions for all aluminium-based packaging.
We should not have to drink wine which is contaminated with aluminium unless we choose to do so. Give us the information upon which such informed choices can be made.
Dr Chris Exley, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
To be asking any supermarket for support for anything such as this is a sign of weakness, particularly in France, as cost is all that matters to supermarkets! The concept of the industrial process which is what is being recommended, is convenience and these days with little thought to the scale of production that matches a balance with the environment it effects. Wine production on a mass scale is not doing anybody any good unless you want to guarantee a flavour or taste which is predictable but which will always be bland - Coca- cola for example and that has led to the dumbing down of taste!!! As has been said, the real cork is not perfect but can be improved but not replaced. A natural cork has to and does breath and provided there is a positive pressure in the bottle - usually the case- breathes out. Nothing good can be guaranteed in this life but the cork gives employment, helps preserve the environment, gives a tree a purpose and give us the chance to taste a wine that will sometimes be better than others! Speaking as someone who enjoys wine but cannot afford the best.
David Etches, France
A very brief response to some of the comments already on the site.
To Dr Christopher Exley, wine does not come in contact with the aluminium unless there has been some drastic rupture of the entire screwcap, which would lead to the loss of the contents of the bottle in any event. Moreover, aluminium is not as toxic as lead, which until 10 years ago constituted the capsule, and could and did contaminate the wine — hence the EU prohibition of continued use of lead.
To Harry Haff, try and tell the white winemakers (in particular) of Australia and New Zealand that sporadic oxidation doesn't exist. Millions of dollars (not thousands or even hundred-thousands) of dollars have been lost due to the ravages of sporadic oxidation with white wine, and the same problems exist with reds, although they are much less obvious. No two corks are the same, and no two corks have exactly the same oxygen barrier performance, and the capsule plays no role.
James Halliday, Coldstream Vic, Australia
What a surprise to receive a response from J Halliday supporting aluminium screw caps!! (I trust that there is no whiff of conflict of interests here!!)
I would never purport to lecture Mr halliday on wine, a subject upon which he is a recognised authority. Might I suggest that he recognises that he knows absolutely nothing on the contamination of wine by aluminium screw caps (nobody, perhaps barring the manufacturers themselves, does, that has been my point) nor does he know anything about the potential role of aluminium in human disease. The role of, for example, metals in disease cannot be treated like a game of 'Top Trumps'. The toxicological profiles of lead and aluminium are not comparable...though of course, Mr Halliday is aware of this, isn't he?
Dr Chris Exley, Keele University
I like being able to smell the wine on the cork.
Steve Lau, Arcata, CA, USA
In reply to Chris Exley. Is it fair to provoke fear about aluminum in screw cap sealed wine when you state that there is no known or available information about its existence in the wine? You suggest further research - why not arrange for this to be funded privately. Purchase a case of screw cap sealed wine and have it tested.
Additionally can you please point out which medical conditions have been categorically demonstrated to be due to aluminum from soft drink cans. Observation is not causation. If you can point to some disease caused by aluminum can you please advice how much soft drink etc is needed to result in this disease state.
I suspect if indeed there is aluminum in screw cap sealed wines (which I doubt) the harm will come to the person not from the aluminum but from the alcohol. A known and proven toxin.
Finally you state that aluminum is inimical to life. So is water - try holding you head in a bucket of water for 10 minutes. . .
winosapien
In reply to 'winosapien'. It is a shame when informed comment becomes the butt of a joke for someone not prepared to reveal their identity. 'winosapien' can at least, check my credibility and, therefore, whether or not my comments are informed. 'winosapien' on the otherhand, like, for example, many in the global aluminium industry, is afraid of informed comment and unwilling to participate in such.
Chris Exley
In response to Harry Haff's earlier comments that there was, “…no credible research to suggest that any air gets past the cork and the capsule.” Please reference a study from the University of Bordeaux published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2005, titled: “Nondestructive Colorimetric Method To Determine the Oxygen Diffusion Rate through Closures Used in Winemaking,” The study states that, “Oxygen is one of the most important factors determining the aging potential of bottled wine, and oxygen diffusion into bottled wine is extremely dependent on the sealing effectiveness of the closure.” The study goes on to confirm that the rate of diffusion was clearly influenced by the type of closure material used.
The bottom line is that the type of closure does indeed have an important role in the development of wine in the bottle.
Roger Archey, Balzac Communications & Marketing, Napa, CA, USA
In my house, once opened, a bottle of wine stays open, so whether its screwtop or corkscrew, the same 'in'convenience is involved. What is the bidg deal about modernising things which are perfectly reasonable as they are.
A thousand years and a trillion bottles with corks has proved that there are NO undesirable side-effects.. The same can't be said of metal screw-caps. Contamination can occur whatever seal is used and many believe that the wine gains an added 'je ne sais quoi' from being is a cork-sealed bottle.
Paul Fallon
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Without wanting to sound like a broken record...I would like to know if Alcan were questioned about the safety of their aluminium screw caps. Were they asked to provide independent research that aluminium from screw caps will not contaminate the wine and that should this happen the aluminium would not be detrimental to the health of anyone drinking aluminium-contaminated wine. Aluminium is inimical to life. Why do we want it in our wine?
