Log in / create account
What's your thing?
 
Search

Endpoint: Screw cap



created on: 11/03/2016
by: Lo55o (12474)
 
 

Definition properties

General info :
Screw caps or "Stelvin caps" are closures made only from aluminium material that threads onto the bottleneck.
They are the predominant closure used by Australian and New Zealand wineries. This can be attributed in part to the New Zealand screw cap initiative which promotes the use of screw caps instead of cork.
Screw caps form a tighter seal and can keep out oxygen for a longer time than cork. These benefits aid in maintaining the wine's overall quality and aging potential.

An often cited contradiction is the case of experiments carried out by Château Haut-Brion in the 1970s, when 100 bottles were placed under screwcap for long term observation. The result was, according to Haut-Brion manager Jean-Bernard Delmas, that "it worked perfectly for the first ten years, until the plastic in the caps went brittle and let air in".

A disadvantage of screw caps according to wine expert Jancis Robinson is the opposite of oxidation, reduction, which may suppress a wine's aroma and possibly cause unpleasant ones, a problem that particularly affects Sauvignon blanc which is a grape variety with natural tendencies toward reduction. Furthermore, there is the screwcap's public image, as "consumers still perceive screwcaps as being for 'cheap' wines (regardless of the price tag)".
The 2007 Victor Segalen University study in Bordeaux showed that screw caps closures allowed the lowest amount of oxygen permeation when compared to natural and synthetic corks, offering the highest level of protection against oxidation of the wine.
Source :
ENA's

Wine

(8 items)

Item number : 7078

Submitted by : Lo55o (12474)
on : 11/03/2016