Wine Containers

There has been much controversy over bottling of wine over the years. The Europeans (for the most part) believe in the traditional cork and us Americans, but certainly not limited to, are a little more relaxed and have given in to the twist cap and even in some cases, quality wine in a box!

Let’s talk about these…

First the cork. Today over 70% of all cork is produced in Portugal and it is produced from the bark of a tree. (Is that crazy or what)? It has been around since the beginning of time and in many circles the preferred method to seal wine. Arguably the only way to seal wines worthy of aging due to the fact there has not been research conducted long enough to see the effects (if any) on age worthy wine. The other argument is the lack of “romance” of opening a bottle of wine without a cork. The peeling of the cap, (the foil cover over the top of the bottle) using a wine key to extract the cork and the wonderful “pop” sound of pulling the cork from the bottle. The major problem with cork is the problem of “corked” wine. What the heck is corked wine you ask? It is a fungus that grows within the cork and taints the wine with a very musty smell as well as steals the character from the wine. What you are left with is a flat, smelly horrible tasting wine that is so far from what the wine maker intended that it is ridiculous. But what happens is that the consumer thinks that is what it is intended to taste like and never buys or recommends this wine again! According to recent numbers about 10% of wine using real cork is in this category, which is a lot of bad wine!

Second the screw top. Some of the top producers have been slowly introducing the screw top to their line of wines. Outside of the fact you do not have the romance of opening a bottle with a cork, you at least don’t have to worry about a corked wine. You can still have a bad wine due to the fact that it was not handled correctly at the vineyard or distributor, but far less chance of this happening. I personally like the cork, call me crazy, but I like the whole presentation of opening a bottle with a cork. If I was a wine maker / owner and was losing 10% of my product (not to mention how this would translate to future sales) to bad wine caused by the cork I may like the screw top. As a loyalist give me the cork!

Thirdly the box wine. Believe it or not this is not what your parents and grandparents served at their holiday get togethers. The box in their refrigerator or on their counter is not the same box today! Technology has improved the bag in the box as well as it is more "green" than bottles. There are a number of quality wines in this format, certainly more than in the past!
Regardless of all the fuss… it still comes down to one thing. What do you prefer? Whatever that is I say go for it!

Cheers!
J