How wine is kept sealed in a bottle is important and why its sealed this way is equally worth knowing. The twist-off wine cap, also known as the Stelvin, was developed in the late 1960’s by the French company Le Bouchage Mécanique.
It was introduced to combat the quality-related struggles of the traditional cork at the time. The idea is to create a tighter seal on the bottle. Without overexposing the wine to oxygen and impacting the flavor. Screw cap wines were not popular when the idea first originated. Many wine enthusiasts wanted to stick to the traditional cork to preserve the authenticity of winemaking.
New Zealand is leading the charge, with around 90% of their wines using screw caps instead of the traditional cork. Australia uses screw caps on around 80% of their wines. South Africa, with around 65% of their wines use a screw caps. The USA is dragging behind with around 30% of wines using twist off caps.
Screw caps don’t allow oxygen into the bottle, preventing the wine from slowly aging. This makes it a good option for wines that are meant to be enjoyed young.
Easier to open for those who have difficulty opening a bottle of wine with a cork. They’re also easier to seal and reseal instead of jamming a cork back inside the bottle.
It isn’t all Good News
The controversy is that high-end wines have a cork and allows the ageing process to take place more efficiently. Personally, I prefer a cork in a red wine for ageing. I also prefer a higher priced red wine to have a cork as it shows classic bottling techniques. I’m fond of half bottles with a twist off cap as I generally consume these wines within a month of purchase.
Screw caps are made from aluminum, which is often produced from a mined ore called bauxite. Processing aluminum can be a messy process, negatively impacting the air and water.
Producing nearly 70 million tons of waste annually. Aluminum and can be recycled, but most screw caps end up in the trash. Most screw cap liners are made from Polyvinylidene chloride a plastic that’s unsustainable and toxic when burned.
Twist cap storage
Red Wine: The shelf life of an opened red screw top wine is around 5 days.
White Wine: The shelf life of an opened white screw top wine is around 3 days.