Best wine with a screw off top EVER!

[Dinner]

I just finished a bottle of Kim Crawford 2005 Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is dam good wine. I must admit I saw that it had a screw off top instead of a cork and I instantly thought it was worthless garbage, however, the salesman convinced me to give it a try and I am not sorry. It seems many wines in New Zealand come with screw off tops (the kiss of death or atleast the sign of a **** wine in the rest of the world) because cork trees will not grow in New Zealand.

I guess you learn something new every day.

[GePap]

Aren't you supposed to croon only over domestic alcoholic products?

[Dinner]

No. Next question.

[Ninot]

from several reputable sources, i've heard that cork is being phased out, because it has several flaws, and screw off tops have none.

[Timexwatch]

What about those rubber corks? Those seem like a decent middleground.

[Zylka]

Screw tops are apparently superior. With 5-10% of the world's wine being 'corked' (inflicted with a bacteria that often resides in cork); screw tops effectively reduce that number to %0. A more conserative approach to such problem is the synthetic cork. Though oddly enough, I've repeatedly been told by someliers that synthetic corks won't entirely reduce the chances of a corked bottle. Kind of seems odd that bacteria can reside within a synthesized material?

In relatively wine "savvy" cultures.. the cork won't all too soon be 'phased out' (let alone inched aside). Old World regions are a little too attached to the tradition and romance of the cork to give way to pure functionality [Though one arguable function con to the screw cap would be its lack of breathability for vintage aging?]

I don't even think synthetic corks have had much popular support in Europe - let alone a cap system that would remove that 'enchanting' corkscrew opening entirely

In any case.. it probably has more a place in the new world, for now. Your average American/Aussie/Canadian consumer, server, wine cashier (so forth) wouldn't be able to tell a corked bottle even after drinking the entire thing. Having grown up on wine, and not always drinking it simply to get drunk.. those savvy Euros can damn well sniff the corked ones out the minute the top pops, right? They don't need no stinking screw cap

[child of Thor]

I'm not a fan of the screw top wines(not having had a good one yet - but i'll check Oerdins recomendation ), in fact i dont much like the synthetic corks either. Its probably just because it s a traditional thing?
I keep a real cork handy, and it takes over from any screw-top/synthetic cork once the bottles open. I've been using it(the same one as its a nice one) for around 19 months so far - no nasty side reactions to any bacteria either

At the momment i like a 'fair trade' red from chile and an organic red from Italy - both around £5 a bottle, both come with the synthetic type cork.

If i want a white i like the Aussie ones best, but i'm not a wine snob and as long as it hits the spot without carving my lungs out, and isnt stupid expensive - then i'll call it a good wine

[Japher]

I heard there is a movement to plastic bottles as well.

[pchang]

Both screw tops and synthetic corks

are superior to natural corks. The synthetic corks I have seen appear to allow some small amount of air to pass through (like a natural cork). The problem for me is that all my old wines have natural corks and they tend to disintegrate when I try to open them. I just had a 61 Bonnes Mare, but had to throw away the first pour because the cork disintegrated and left bits at the top of the bottle when I opened it.

[child of Thor]

sometimes i like those bits of cork in my wine. But yeah it is annoying when that happens.

[chequita guevara]

Get used to it. Most cork comes from Portugal, and the explosion in wine sales has meant that there isn't enough quality cork to go around. American vintners, rather than risk the KoD of a screw top will either use inferior cork (reulting in much higher corkage rates--up to 10% of wine ends up being spoiled) or plastic "corks."

The screw top is far superior, but it carries the image of vin d'Thunderbird.

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by Japher
I heard there is a movement to plastic bottles as well.

Dunno how well that would sell, plastic looks tackier than even box wine.

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by Japher
I heard there is a movement to plastic bottles as well.

IIRC several years ago I read about wine coming in aluminum cans just like beer in UK.

Have anybody seen those?

[MikeH]

Yep, was really cheap stuff.

And you know how beer tastes worse out of cans than bottles, same is true with wine.

[C0ckney]

wine out of a can is just the lowest of the low.

and synthetic corks make bottles a real pain in the arse to open.