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It Ain’t The Taint That Spoiled Your Bottle Of Wine

Posted: 10/18/2011

Aluminum screw caps can spoil wine with the taste of cooked cabbage.

(NAPSI)—Picture this: You have invited special guests for dinner, and because you like to try something new, you intend to serve them wine sealed with an aluminum screw cap.

As you boldly unscrew the cap, you notice several guests grimace, their longing for the iconic cork pop writ large across their faces. But you reassure yourself that although the presentation has been cheapened by the sound of cracking aluminum, all will be well with the first pour.

Alas, the wine smells like cooked cabbage.

That’s because it has been contaminated with dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a compound associated with the pungent aromas of canned corn, old oysters and the aforementioned cabbage—hardly a bouquet to complement your feast.

How can this be? Screw caps are supposed to eliminate wine faults. Well, yes, but they don’t. Studies have shown that the air-tight seal that screw caps create actually increases the likelihood and potency of DMS.

A 2010 study of California Sauvignon Blancs found wines with screw caps had an average DMS concentration more than twice as high as wines under cork. A 2007 survey of Australian and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs concluded that the DMS concentration was nearly three times as high among wines with screw caps.

The evidence from both surveys, which were conducted by the Cork Quality Council, strongly suggests that natural cork closures with higher oxygen permeability protect better against excessive formation of DMS.

But how about the notorious “cork taint” (TCA) that transforms the aroma of wine sealed with cork into the stench of moldy newspapers? Isn’t this a major problem? Actually, no.

It was a major problem, but that was before winemakers and cork manufacturers invested millions of dollars in developing new quality control measures and processing technologies. Today, studies commonly show that 99 percent of wines sealed with real cork from a reputable supplier are TCA-free.

The virtual elimination of TCA and the likelihood of DMS contamination in wines sealed with screw caps help to explain why U.S. winemakers overwhelmingly prefer natural cork. The same can be said for most dinner guests.

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