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NOVEMBER NEWS Corks, Screwcaps and Wine Culture Aaron Miller said 'there was no detectable difference' between the 2008 PlumpJack Cabernets aged under screwcap and cork. French/American group concurs: We can all get along N apa, Calif.—The rising acceptance of screwcapped wines has only served to improve traditional natural cork closures, most of a bi-cultural assembly of wine industry suppliers, winemakers, distributors and other experts seemed to agree. "Cork vs. Screw Cap: What impact on the market?" was the title of the first gastronomy and wine conference organized by San Francisco's French American Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 17 at the Napa Valley Country Club. Despite partisan presentations from the supplier side—Frederic Catteau, general manager of Stelvin's Amcor Flexibles, and Peter Weber, executive director of the Cork Quality Council—the proceedings remained amicable throughout. Jacques Brix, president of the French Association of Wine Executives and vice president/director of sales for Wines & Vines, offered recent data that demonstrated the rapid rise of screwcaps in the North American wine industry: 38% of wineries currently use screwcaps on at least some bottles, vs. winesandvines.com only 5% in 2004. However, 84% of winLearn more: Search keywords eries continue to employ natural cork in "Screwcap acceptance." some or all bottlings. Importer and distributor Emmanuel Lemoine, Northern California sales manager for Vineyard Brands, recounted stunning success selling screwcapped bottles in the United States. Success came first with selling "entry-level" screwcapped wines to restaurant buyers, he recalled. "It takes a few years of training" to convert buyers and sommeliers to screwcap for higher priced wines, Lemoine said. Winemaker Aaron Miller from Napa's 10,000-case PlumpJack Winery, an early screwcap proponent, said new screwcaps allay consumer concerns about ageability. "They behave more like cork and offer lower oxygen transmission for white wines," he said. With the 2008 PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon, later tasted by attendees, "There was no detectable difference," Miller noted. But screwcaps are not infallible. They can be broken if handlers aren't careful. Accidentally flipping over a case can cause punctures—although if the liners remain intact, there's no oxidation, Miller commented. Representing the Cork Quality Council, a consortium of eight major natural cork suppliers, Weber acknowledged, "Alternatives have given us new things to discuss." Since alternative closures emerged in response to winery and consumer complaints about TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole) contamination—once estimated to affect as many as 10% of bottles—cork suppliers have toiled diligently to reduce the incidence, achieving levels now reckoned at around 1% by the CQC. —Jane Firstenfeld 16 W in e s & V i ne s NOV E M B E R 20 13