Wines & VinesAvila Valley Grapevine, May 2010: More Closure Studies & the Avila Wine Trailby John Salisbury of Salisbury Vineyards
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“To Screw or not to Screw, That is the Question”. Of course, I am talking about screw caps versus corks – what were some of you thinking? Some real interesting facts came out of an article in Science News. In a survey that focused on the chemistry and flavor of two of our main varietals, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, consumers couldn’t tell the differences between bottles capped with screw caps or natural corks. The study suggests how you plug up the bottle with the two closures has little, if any, effect on a wine’s flavor especially in the short term.
Michael Qian of Oregon State University who led the research said, “The right kind of screw cap is just as good as a cork, or even better, because it is more consistent’” In a test, Qian and his group closed 150 bottles each with neutral corks, synthetic corks, and three screw caps with different linings. Every 6 months for two years they uncorked bottles from each group and checked dissolved oxygen and the chemical profile. The group will continue to check the bottles for the next several years. They also brought in tasters to check the samples for flavor and aroma.
The results of the five seals was that the synthetic cork and the screw cap lined with low-density polyethylene let in too much oxygen which in turn may cause the thiols and esters (flavorful compounds) to be oxidized and knocking out the wonderful fruity flavors. Another screw cap, Saran-tin, let in the least amount of oxygen but not so low as to leave the wine heavy with sulfur compounds that could give it an “off” quality. The natural corks were inconsistent depending on quality. The Saranex had similar chemical and taste profiles to that of good natural corks. The point is that by using different screwcaps, the winemaker can control the minute amount of oxygen into the wine bottle. Of course, there is the common phrase “Show me a wine that breathes and I will show you a bottle of vinegar”.
Granted opening a screw capped bottle doesn’t have quite the same tradition or romance as pulling a cork but it is a better all around closure for uniformity of the wine, ease of opening (anywhere without a cork screw), and the cost (about 75% less than cork). This is especially important when you consider cork failures range between 5% and 10%. That makes for an awful lot of lost wine just for aesthetics. With Australia, New Zealand, and other new world countries selling the bulk of their wines in screw caps, you can be sure it is not a fad. Especially since probably 75% of the wines sold in the USA are consumed within 24 hours. I know most of the wine sold here in the Valley hardly makes it out of the weekend.
Speaking of Avila Valley, our seven local wineries to include the Per Bacco winery have banded together in an alliance to promote our newly established Avila Wine Trail. We will market our unique wine region throughout California and beyond. In a day’s outing, you can visit each of the tasting rooms easily all of which are located within a few minutes of each other by bicycle, car or on foot. Seven wineries are plenty for a wine tasting foray especially in arguably one of the most scenic wine areas in the State. Look for our brochures and maps and spread the word.
Sometimes you really have to think about our State’s initiative process that allows for groups to promote an agenda that sounds good but could be so disastrous in the long run. It also gives our representatives in Sacramento too much cover by not pressuring them to do their job. A recent example is this crazy petition that is being circulated that would raise the tax on alcohol. It would increase the excise tax from 4 cents to $5.11 for a bottle of wine (up 12,675%). This would mean no more 2 Buck Chuck! A six pack of beer would go up from 11 cents to $6.08 more (up 8,255%), and booze from 65 cents to $17.57 extra for a bottle (up 2,703%).
The idea is to increase state tax income by $7 to $9 billion a year and the proceeds will go to support alcohol related programs and services. Yeah, like the Legislature would let that much money get away from them. The Secretary of State accurately points out, of course, that the tax revenue will drop by several million dollars a year because of an obvious decline in consumption. As several in the industry have posted in their blogs, the people behind this initiative sound like they might have an ulterior motive. Does it strike anyone as odd that the project calls for 15% of the money to go towards naturopathic (not even in the dictionary but definitely touchy/feely) treatment programs and 5% into awareness programs to prevent the use of alcohol?
Well, the folks pushing this initiative are reported to be confirmed neo-prohibitionist and could be using this process to fund their “wellness” programs in the San Diego area and bring back Prohibition via the back door. So with this possible personal money grab, we lose millions of tax revenue, businesses will close casting out thousands of workers in all levels of the industry, a history of food and wine culture lost. So if someone hits you up in front of the grocery store to sign up for this obscene tax increase, please tell them you know someone in the wine business that will have to close up shop thanks to them.
“The true measure of a civilization is not the census, nor the size of its cities or its crops, but the quality and quantity of the wine, women, and song that the country turns out”. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882). Amen to that!!
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