The last thing the winemaker did when this wine was crafted was to put a cork in the bottle. This cork was flawed. It ruined the wine within hours. And decades later, upon opening the wine, this flaw was revealed. Trichloroanisole, TCA, Cork Taint. A mold on cork that strips wine of its fruit and imparts these unpleasant aromas.
At the time, the Wine Spectator estimated that 6 – 8% of all wines finished with a cork were cork tainted. One bottle in every case! Gordon, a sensible businessperson, asked a great question, “Why does the wine industry accept this kind of failure?” There was no answer. Immediately, PlumpJack began to explore other wine closures – agglomerated cork, synthetic cork, screwcaps. Ultimately, PlumpJack found that screwcap is the best alternative to cork, and in many ways, superior. We began using screwcaps on the PlumpJack Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in 2000, when we bottled the 1997 vintage.
Q: Can you taste the difference in the wine between the cork and the screw cap after the aging process? What are the differences?
A.M.: Typically, I can tell the difference between our wines aged under cork and screwcap. Though I have been fooled. Early in the wine’s life, it is more difficult to parse out the differences. After eight to ten years, the differences begin to become more apparent. The biggest difference is aromatic. The wine bottled with the screwcap is typically more youthful – fresher fruits and herbs – while the wine bottled with the cork will begin to show some dried fruits, cedar, and tobacco. The wine bottled with screwcap will get here eventually too, it just takes a little longer. When I purchase PlumpJack, CADE, and Odette wines, I buy both formats. I drink the cork earlier and age the screwcap so I can enjoy the freshness now and later.
Q: Why do the wines of the PlumpJack Collection of Wineries bottle half cork and half screwcap for their reserve wines? Why not all screw cap?
A.M.: This is “Gordon’s Great Experiment” and a long-term study. Fans of PlumpJack, CADE, and Odette are a part of this experiment. You have the opportunity to taste our wines under both cork and screwcap to see if you can debunk the myth that screwcaps indicate low quality. Personally, I believe our wines bottled under screwcap are every bit as good, or even better, than the wines bottled under cork. In fact, when we submit samples to wine critics, we send screwcap. In the last six vintages, we have five Wine Advocate 100-point wines. On top of this, there is zero chance that you will age these very special wines, open them on just the right occasion, only to be disappointed with a cork tainted wine.
Q: What’s the environmental impact of screw caps vs. corks?
A.M.: Environmental impact is an important issue for PlumpJack, CADE, and Odette. When we built CADE, we built the first Gold LEED Certified winery in the Napa Valley. This was a monumental event which had a cascading effect on the industry.
The environmental impact of cork versus screwcap is less clear. On its surface, it appears that cork is a greener option. Cork comes from a renewable resource that scavenges carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Slam dunk, right? Maybe not. There are a few factors that could even out the impact or even tilt it in the favor of screwcap.
One is that screwcaps are manufactured locally, so shipping emissions are lower. A second is the tradition of finishing a bottle with an aluminum foil. Now you’re using a cork AND a foil which could negate the environmental benefit of using cork. Most importantly, there is the cork taint issue. If 2 – 3% of all wines finished with a cork are damaged, then there is a huge volume of wasted cork, glass, foils, and labels; there is a waste of energy and oak barrels used in the production of these wines; there are unnecessary emissions in the shipping of these wines; there are unnecessary emissions in the growing of these grapes. This could really add up to a significant environmental impact due to the incidence of cork taint.
Q: Is there any new technology with screw cap enclosures that you’re seeing?
A.M.: There are new technologies in screw cap closures. There is a model of screwcap that is made to more closely resemble a cork and foil finish. This is a technology that doesn’t intrigue me. We believe in the closure as an equal to cork, so why hide it?
A more interesting technology is the array of liners now available. These liners rest in the top of the cap and are what seal the bottle. They are now made with varying degrees of permeability. Some allow more air to diffuse into the bottle while others allow less. Winemakers can experiment with these liners to find the liner that they believe is best for the aging of each wine. Some winemakers may prefer a more permeable liner to more closely mimic cork, while others may prefer to preserve fresher aromatics and choose a less permeable liner. We are now in the experimental phase.
Q: What’s your personal preference between the two?
A.M.: I truly appreciate both closures. I do like the tradition of the cork and I understand that argument. But, as a consumer of wines, it is difficult for me to get beyond the disappointment of opening a cork tainted wine – not to mention the wasted money. As a winemaker, I find comfort knowing that our wines bottled under screw cap will reach our customers as I intended – an expression of the unique terroir of our estate influenced by my own personal style.
Q: Have other luxury wine brands followed PlumpJack’s lead by enclosing their top end Cabernets in screwcap?
A.M.: While many luxury wineries in Australia have embraced screw cap closures, not many in the US or Europe have done so. Because there is a common misconception that wines finished with screw caps are inferior, cheap wines, there is a great risk a winery must be willing to take to try screw caps. Most are not willing to take this risk and would rather sell wines with cork taint.
Q: What is a common misconception about Screwcap?
A.M.: The common misconception is that screw caps are indicative of cheap wines and that wines can’t age under screw cap. Both are incorrect assumptions based on prior experience. It is true that at one time, only cheap wines were bottled with screw cap. And it is also true that many of us have had experience with stinky, reduced wines that were bottled under screw cap.
Both are problems with the wine itself, not the closure.
First, bad wine is bad wine whether is closed with a cork, screw cap, synthetic cork, glass stopper, or a 20-carat diamond. The wine is cheap because it is made from inferior grapes using inexpensive techniques. Next, reductive aromas, such as rotten egg, cabbage, onion, garlic, or burnt matchstick, can occur in any wine that is made with limited oxygen exposure, which is what we winemakers call “reductive winemaking.” These aromas are more likely to be found in wines made in this fashion that are bottled under screw cap because there is less oxygen going through the screw cap than a cork.
Wineries that produce luxury wines generally don’t have these issues. We craft wines from some of the most coveted grapes in the world. We spare no expense in the production of our wines and we don’t use a reductive style in the production of our wines. We embrace oxygen as a tool to keep our yeast healthy under difficult fermentation conditions, to stabilize tannin and color, and to enhance the body and weight of our wines. Our wines are world-class, whether they are closed with a cork or a screw cap.