Be it for the old world charm or the much-ceremonial pop sound, classic cork closures always manage to tempt us! However, they also have the capability to add to our misery sometimes—reminds us of the struggle to open a bottle, or our fear of wine getting spoiled. Despite this, you would come across wine experts speaking in its favour. Today, in our blog post, Cork vs Screwcap, we will try to find out which one is better of the two!
Cork
Cork, as we all know, used for closing wine bottles are made using cork bark. A natural product, it allows the wine to breathe and hence, age well (The tannins soften with time as they come in contact with oxygen). Since the beginning of the 1400s, corks have been popularly used for the purpose.
However, for reasons like variable quality, cost & risk of wine getting spoiled by cork taint (Its chances are less though), people have now started using screwcap stoppers. Many winemakers, still prefer to use this, in order to retain the old-world charm and also for the fact that cork-finished wines are often associated with properties like depth, texture and complexity.
Screwcap
Screwcaps, on the other hand, came into existence much later. Introduced in the 1950s, these seem to be a perfect solution for closing wines to many. As much as cork allowed the wine to age well, there were always chances of it getting oxidized. While screwcaps not only prevent oxidation, they also effectively help to reseal an opened bottle of wine (That said, the seal is often too tight that it doesn’t allow the wine to mature properly).
Living in an era where environmental health is a major concern, using screwcap can be a drawback as these are made using a non-renewable resource and are non-biodegradable. These are also often associated with cheap wines, however, stereotyping it could be wrong as these days winemakers often use it to avoid cork-influence and retain the natural characteristics of the varietal.
Both of these, cork & screwcap stoppers, have their own pros & cons, used by the winemaker for different reasons keeping in mind the desired results. In the end, it’s the drink in the bottle that matters and the winemaker's intentions behind crafting that beauty.
