Cork Ignorance

You'd think the cork vs screwcap debate is over, but having just come back from the USA, I was baffled to see so very few screwcaps in use, and none on premium wines even from Australia.

I just read this by Robert Mann,Senior Winemaker & Estate Director of Cape Mentelle Vineyards, a guy who knows wine better than most;

"Last month we were busy tasting, topping and re-corking the Cabernet wines in our cellar, dating back to the first wine produced from our vineyard in 1974 up until the 1989 vintage and missing only the 1975 (the cows ate the crop). All of these wines were characterised by modest alcohol levels generally below 13% and all were still in great condition, if you exclude the 40% of bottles rejected due to the deleterious impact of the cork through oxidation and taint."

How heartbreaking would it be if you were the proud owner of a 1974 CM Cab, and after half a lifetime of careful cellaring, you had to tip it down the drain simply because it was sealed with a 'natural' product instead of a reliable one?

Sure, a good winery will replace the bottle if cork affected, but with a recent vintage, and half a lifetime's cellaring is lost.

Vinsanity.

Premium wines come sealed with screwcap.

Gamblers wines come with corks.