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8 WINES&VINES August 2018 MY DECISION to use screwcaps on all my wines since my first vintage in 2006 was one born out of experiencing too many incidences of TCA along with too much "bottle variation" due to varying levels of oxidation. I knew I was producing a consumer product and felt it paramount to be able to stand behind the products I produced, minimizing the possibility of "off bottles" getting into the hands of my customers, especially when most consum- ers don't understand what TCA is or how much variability exists in natural corks. The biggest challenge I've faced over the past decade isn't with the science of the screwcap closure but with the misinformation continuing to exist about the use of screwcaps and ageability of wines stored under them. I've been very pleased with how many wines have aged under them. I periodically open up wines from my first few vintages to find them fresh yet evolved and not suspect to TCA. I find that screwcaps keep my white and rosé wines fresh for extended pe- riods of time and do a wonderful job of ensuring my wines develop in a manner that matches my wines. I use different liners depending upon the wines, and this further enables me to match closure with wine. My wines tend to be fairly acid driven and meant to be consumed a few years down the line. I age my wines in older barrels for extended periods, so they're drinkable upon release with upside potential for aging. This closure matches that perfectly. A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President and Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 East (except New York) Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 New York and International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Production Manager April Kushner ads@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 114 DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. QUESTION OF THE MONTH QUESTION FOR AUGUST : Why are you sticking with screwcap closures? WE USE SCREWCAPS on all our entry- level wines. Screwcaps are great for a few reasons. The first is simply convenience. How many times have you been stranded without a corkscrew and no efficient way to open your bottle? Not happening with a screwcap. The second and more impor- tant reason is quality control. Screwcaps eliminate the risk for contamination from TCA, ensuring the wines will reach the consumer as intended. The caps also have a membrane in the top that consistently measures oxygen ingress, allowing each individual bottle for a particular label to age in unison. Given the advancements that have been made with screwcaps, we don't think there's much of a difference in flavor or ageability between screwcaps and cork. Each natural cork is unique so it's going to have a different effect on the aging process of each bottle. This is amplified over time, so when drinking wines under cork you may have two bot- tles from the same label that will taste markedly different from one another 10 years after they're bottled. We've recently started using DIAM corks on our reserve and single-vineyard wines because they have the same uniform oxygen ingress and lack of TCA that screwcaps have, but still utilize cork and pay homage to the tradition of pop- ping a bottle of wine with a corkscrew. What's most important to us is that every one of our bottles reaches con- sumers in the exact condition I intended when crafting our wines. TINHORN CREEK tested Stelvin clo- sures versus cork with our 2001 Reserve Merlot, loved the results, and imme- diately switched to Stelvin. We now use Stelvin for all our products where possible, including our flagship wine, The Creek, which is the only Stelvin- enclosed wine in its competitive set in British Columbia. The only benefits to using cork are historical and cultural. Anything a cork can do a capsule can do better, safer, easier and cleaner. Although I grew up in Ontario and learned to appreciate wine from a European palate, I studied in Australia where science, logic and practicality prevail. Australia, much like the Okanagan, were sent garbage quality corks for too long and by the '90s forced to make the change to screwcaps and alternate closure technologies. You only need to review AWRI research to see that any argument, from a quality standpoint, stating cork is superior, is not based on fact. We began trials for bottling red wines under screw- cap with our 2001 Oldfield Collection Merlot, and they still, to this day, retain better freshness, fruitiness and ageabil- ity than the wines bottled under cork. Our library wines under cork from 1994- 2002 are unfortunately mostly corked and often oxidized as a consequence of the closure. You only need to look at the cork industry today, with DIAM and oth- ers introducing pulverized cryo-treated cork composites to know that there is a big problem and a simple solution. Larry Schaffer Owner/Winemaker tercero wines Santa Barbara, Calif. Andrew Windsor Winemaker Tinhorn Vineyards Olver, B.C. Joe Wright Winemaker Left Coast Cellars Rickreall, Ore.