TDG: Wine Camp: Corky Paranoia Redux

[badthings]

WS article on two new closures designed to minimize people's discomfort with screwcaps (more effective than fake cork-pulling, I guess):

Recently, screw caps have gained a following among fine winemakers, despite their former association with jug wines. Studies have shown that screw caps preserve wine well; they also allow bottles to be easily resealed. But the cap has yet to gain widespread acceptance among consumers -- largely for aesthetic reasons.

"Even though it's a great closure, many people don't like the screw top because they think it looks cheap," said McKenna, who is also a national account manager for wine with ACI Glass Packaging Australia, which manufactures beverage bottles. "And they want the experience of pulling out the cork.

I just don't get it. What's so exciting about a cork? You'd think the fact that it doesn't come with a straw would be sufficiently impressive for these people.

If it works better, that's another story of course.

[Craig Camp]

On a spotless concrete floor, seven huge molding machines sit in a row, pressing out little nubs into pallet-sized cardboard boxes. Each box contains some 50,000 of these synthetic doodads, just wide enough to fit the neck of a wine bottle. And that’s precisely where they end up.

[Craig Camp]

A prestigious team of more than 50 tasters was assembled by Wine International Magazine in a bid to settle the raging cork-versus-screwcap debate.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm kicking up this old thread -- remember when we were all looking at and debating the Meta-Cork?

Well it seems that their are claiming that Mondavi reneged on a deal and now Gardner, the producer of the MetaCork, are suing Mondavi for $7M.

Story in this morning's Napa Register.