Cork vs. cap: debate over alternative to wood plug grows

Nation's Restaurant News, March 22, 2004 by Frederick L. Dame

The hottest topic in the world of wine today isn't about vintages, varieties or locations. While Mother Nature's legendary temper makes each year exciting for winemakers around the world, it seems that one of her other wonders has taken precedence: that wonderful tree bark known as cork. Today the big question is whether or not to screw.

A nasty little infection called Trichloranisole, or TCA, has made its mark. It occurs during the cork-sterilization process, so little can be done to halt it other than careful bark selection and lot inspection.

Unfortunately, the cork industry has been very slow to respond to winemakers' demands for quality. And as a result, we are seeing more" Stelvin" closures, also known as screw caps. Don't worry; it's not happening overnight. Switzerland uses more than 15 million annually, and the United States' usage could reach 10 million this year.

A significant number of highly regarded wineries in the United States are taking the plunge. Plumpjack has been bottling 50 percent of its reserve production in Stelvin. This year look for Calera, Argyle and Sonoma-Cutrer to join in the action.

Randall Graham of Bonny Doon has given up on cork completely. His entire production will be bottled with screw caps this year. During this year's Sommelier Summit, Graham said he believes that screw caps are the best closure currently available.

But while everyone seems to agree that the Stelvin closure is the best alternative to cork currently available, don't expect to see the revolution have an impact on the United States as quickly as it has on Australia and New Zealand. The cork offers tradition and a proven track record. And what about those poor cork farmers in Portugal, Brazil and Sardinia? Let's just say that they are not exactly thrilled with modern technology at this moment. Nonetheless, numerous projects are underway for finding a better solution.

So what's the delay? Why not just order up those caps and bottling machines and get to work? The reason is that a number of issues still are on the table.

Without doubt the main hurdle lies in the issue of aging. The cork has a wonderful ability to let the wine breathe. That is what makes you salivate when you read about that wonderful 1929 or 1961. No one knows how screw caps will react to long periods of aging.

There have been incubation experiments and short-term experiments. An article by Carol Emert in the San Francisco Chronicle described a blind tasting of the 1998 Plumpjack Reserve in cork and cap. That's about as far as anyone in this country has gone. By the way, the results were mixed.

However, how much of an issue is cellaring nowadays? Most wine consumed in this country is drunk within eight hours of purchase. And that amount is probably in the neighborhood of 95 percent. Most new homes are built without cellars anyway. That makes storage space a real problem. I happen to own two refrigerators and a 500-bottle cooler for home consumption. Even then there are boxes and bottles sitting around. It's an expensive proposition. There are new companies, such as San Francisco's VinTrust, that are making storage management a significant industry.

And in the world of hospitality and, particularly, wine service, is a hotly debated issue that is making all sommeliers, owners and servers a little nervous. We know and understand the ritual of the cork, but screw caps? Remember all those wonderful jokes about screw caps and brown bags? So now what to do?

My colleagues and I have been debating that question for months. There is no consensus to date, but I have come up with a service solution that satisfies me: Present the bottle to the host and then open the screw cap bottle with the same professionalism with which you would open a cork.

Pour to the same service standards.

Oh, I forgot--do you present the screw cap to the host? I know we'll get used to it, but what about right now? Can you imagine the guests' laughter and the sneers from people at surrounding tables? Deal with it. Get over it. Present the screw cap on a, well, cork tray to the host just as you would a cork. Make sure to place the cap in the up position so that the top is showing. Many of the screw caps have very nice logos or are just plain fun. I really like Bonny Doon's Cigare Volante alien face. Then sample and pour just as normal. Those bringing their own wines would be charged a screwage fee. Hmmm, we might have to work on that one.

I really like the idea of screw caps for family restaurants. Just think; you will be able to order a bottle of wine at Olive Garden or Chili's and actually have it opened at the table. No more with the bartender owning the only corkscrew in the house. I think the simple notion that wine has a casual side actually may benefit the wine industry in its ongoing battle with liquor and beer interests. It could even be fun!

Frederick L. Dame, master sommetier, is the first American to serve as president of the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide. He now works with Allied Domecq Spirits & Wines. One of just 51 Americans to have passed the master sommelier examination, Dame was awarded the coveted Krug Cup of the British Guild of Sommeliers in 1984. He founded the American branch of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 1986. He also served as cellar-master of The Sardine Factory in Monterey, Calif., for 12 years.