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Looking for Closure: Screwcaps vs. Corks


Rosie

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Fill a ziplock bag with water. Seal it, hold it up and puncture it at the base. I guarantee no air will enter.

hmm. i'm buying it now. i'm trying to think if the bag that we're talking about would have different properties than a ziplock in this situation.

the ziplock, however, will not completely empty. that's my guess. i'll try tonite, although i doubt that a zip-lock is completely air-tight. but it's close enough for this experiment.

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Fill a ziplock bag with water. Seal it, hold it up and puncture it at the base. I guarantee no air will enter.

hmm. i'm buying it now. i'm trying to think if the bag that we're talking about would have different properties than a ziplock in this situation.

the ziplock, however, will not completely empty. that's my guess. i'll try tonite, although i doubt that a zip-lock is completely air-tight. but it's close enough for this experiment.

The bags in the boxes I used to buy (student days) were very thin, aluminium coated plastic. They collapsed even more readily than a ziplock bag.

When the wine gets right down to the bottom of the box, I imagine you could get some air leaking in, but by that time you don't care.

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i am now officially a huge fan of the box. 

but it'll never happen.  :blink:

Look at the links I painstakingly googled off the internet (above). It is already happening. My prediction is that the box will creep up into the $12/bottle-and-less price range, WHICH IS MY PRICE RANGE, while the more expensive wines will stay bottled. But that's just my prediction, and my predictions are very often wrong (which, strictly speaking, means they were not predictions in the first place).

--

ID

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I seem to remember wine in france being available in plastic PET containers, much like most bottled water is sold today. This was about 5 years ago. They also had wine in 1l aseptic packages, or something similar. I never tried either of them, though I did have wine bought in bulk for parties. (Bring your own 'keg' to the wine store and get it filled up.)

But how do you sell the things? Pretty pictures? A lot of effort is spent on unusual bottles, colors, labels, shapes, etc.

Edit: obligitory scary link and more

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  • 2 months later...

in january's Gourmet magazine, there is an article on what to drink for the Superbowl.

the author says "[bonny Doon] doesn't take itslelf too seriously (the screw-top bottle is one top-off)." :hmmm:

additionally, the section listing recommendations has several groups: california SB, Wester Languedoc Red, Loire Dessert Wine, beer, and "wine in screw-top bottles". :unsure::unsure:

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I get the feeling that this trend will continue. I recently bought an expensive bottle of white wine from Bonny Doon and, to my surprise, it was a screwtop as well. Attached to the neck of the bottle was a little pamphlet explaining that, according to them, the screwtop actually insures better freshness than a cork. I took this bottle to a BYOB and was actually quite embarrased as I twisted the top off and it made that twist-off sound. I also recently saw a sauvignon blanc from the marlbourough region of NZ with a screwtop as well. So it seems that this trend may be on the upswing.

"Nutrirsi di cibi prelibati e trasformare una necessita in estasi."

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I get the feeling that this trend will continue.

David:

You are correct. As the supplies of natural cork dwindle, prices go up, and winemakers try to avoid loss through "corkage" (the bacteria for which thrives on the organic natural cork), many more winemakers will turn to the screwcaps or to the synthetic corks that are now so popular (and such a bitch to get out of the bottle at times! :angry: ).

Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon is one of the first U.S. winemakers to go with this trend. He's always been known as a bit of a rebel. His newsletters are a combination of staggering intellect, incredible writing and WTF??? Check out their website HERE and tell me if you don't agree that the asylum is being run by a brilliant but bizarre leader.

For what it's worth, I've always used a well rinsed out screw topped Snapple bottle, on the truly rare occasion that there's half a bottle of wine leftover. I always try to transfer the "leftovers" to a smaller container, be it the aforementioned Snapple bottle, or an empty 375ml bottle I keep for the same purpose. You can imagine how rarely this "leftover wine" phenomenon occurs in my household :biggrin: But the screwtop IS airtight, so it serves it's purpose.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Anytime the wine industry can offer people the opportunity to never have a "corked" bottle of wine, or simply a bad experience with uncorking a bottle, all the better.

David: the next time you're embarrassed by a Stelvin closure, simply explain to your guests that you're trying to be cutting edge...

After all, better to be embarrassed by the Stelvin than the wine...

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Good point about the Stelvin, I can be cutting edge and environmentally sensitive at the same time! Great website Katie, the guy does seem a little on the edge but is greatly innovative. I like Bonny Doon wines and find them to be inventive, well made and well priced. Their Moscato is delightful as is their Malvasia. I was pleased to see that they also make a Friesa as well, I'd like to try it as it's scent and taste are delightfully light and refreshing.

"Nutrirsi di cibi prelibati e trasformare una necessita in estasi."

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Hi David:

Freisa is one of my faves too. We used to carry the La Zucca Freisa at Moore Bros. and it was known as the "pizza wine"! That strawberry nose, slight bit of spritz and refreshing nature made it a great wine for folks to take home and have with pizza. And inevitably that's how they'd ask for it when they came back after deciding they loved it. I've never tried the Bonny Doon, but if it's up to the usual standards of their wines, I'm sure it's delicious.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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I also recently saw a sauvignon blanc from the marlbourough region of NZ with a screwtop as well. So it seems that this trend may be on the upswing.

The 2002 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc has a screw cap. It could be the one you saw, but I'll bet you'll see more. Frank Prial has an article Popping Corks: A Sound Bound for Oblivion? in the Dining section of the May 14, 2003 NY Times. He mentions Bonny Doon and offers some other industry news about current and expected use of screw tops. It does seem so unceremonious, but it may make for better drinking.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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  • 1 month later...

i recently read an article on screwtops (in Food and Wine mag maybe?). they mentioned something that i hadn't thought about, and something that i don't see mentioned here: tampering.

it's seems that tampering could become a real and valid concern for bottles without corks. can you imagine a disgruntled employee, or customer for that matter, systematically giving bottle upon bottle a quick twist? yikes.

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Holt shit Tommy. Is that posting number for real? 11,110 posts?

I've got some catching up to do.

When tommy gets to 666,666 posts the world comes to an end.

Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't do it man.

Edited by "T" (log)

slowfood/slowwine

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  • 6 months later...
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