Cork vs screw top wine – are natural corks better?

Does a wine taste different if its bottle has a screw cap vs a cork? It depends on the wine and when you’re drinking it. For example, you’ll find many popular white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay have screw caps these days. This is because they’re made to be drunk young, in the first one to three years after release. These wines not only taste the same as they would with a natural cork, they may even taste better thanks to the tighter seal of the cap, which keeps the vibrant fruit flavors fresh and the acidity intact.

The situation is a bit different for reds. Artificial closures are perfectly fine for less expensive bottles that are made for immediate consumption. They’re also fine for grape varietals like Pinot Noir, which is okay to drink young.

However, a lot of red wines benefit from aging and that’s where a natural cork is sometimes better. Corks allow a small amount of oxygen to get into the bottle, so the wine continues to develop secondary flavors over time. If you were to age a big red wine for 5+ years with a screw cap, it might not mature in the same way because the seal would be too tight.

The bottom line is if you’re picking up a $15 bottle of Chilean Merlot for a casual dinner, the cork doesn’t matter. But, if you’re planning an exclusive dinner party and serving a Merlot blend that’s a few years from release, you’ll want a wine with a real cork.

When and why did the wine industry move toward screw caps?

If you go into any fine wine shop today you’re guaranteed to find plenty of high quality white wines, and some quality reds, that have synthetic corks or screw caps. However, prior to 2000, screw tops weren’t really a thing. They tended to be used mainly for lower priced wines that were commercially produced. They were also fairly looked down upon by wine connoisseurs. So what caused the shift?

For starters, in the 1990s, there was an influx in wine drinkers and the cork industry couldn’t quite keep up with production requirements. At the same time, more and more natural corks were being affected by Trichloroanisole, also known as TCA or cork taint which can effectively ruin a wine and make it undrinkable.

Cork taint was a big problem as not all consumers could tell the difference between a wine that was corked and one that was just bad or that they didn’t like. The chances of a bottle being affected were random, but producers still took a hit when consumers blamed the wine instead of the cork. Moreover, it was problematic for restaurants and wine shops as bottles had to be returned and wine replaced. Altogether this put pressure on the wine industry to find a solution and that solution came in the form of screw caps and synthetic corks (as well as better testing for natural corks to ensure they were not carrying TCA).

More on cork taint

When you peel a cork tree lower to the ground, the cork can pick up certain microorganisms. These stay in the cork until it’s inserted into a wine bottle, at which point they transfer to and react with the wine, leading to off flavors and aromas of wet cardboard and must, which compromise the flavor profile and integrity of the wine.

Have a look at this article for our top tips on how to tell if a wine is corked.

In the early 2000s, it was estimated that up to 7% of all wines were impacted by TCA. Can you imagine if 7% of cars sold were unusable, or if 5% of washing machines didn’t work? Businesses would go bust. But with wine, it was an accepted reality for years.

It’s always heartbreaking to spend a lot of money for an expensive wine, hold it for years, and then open it only to realize it’s flawed and undrinkable. Thankfully, for the last five to 10 years, cork taint has been far less of a problem and may only impact 1% of recently bottled wines. Nonetheless, there are still a lot of wines that were bottled between 2000 and 2010 which may turn out to carry it!

Is there any research that says corks are better?

Penfolds in Australia has been studying this for over 40 years. They’ve always taken their flagship wine, Grange, which is a Shiraz with some Cabernet Sauvignon in it, and bottled a certain amount with screw caps and the rest with corks. At set time periods, they did blind tastings to see how the wines aged and developed, and if people could taste the difference between the bottles. The results were that the natural cork wines aged in a slightly different way. Of note though, only the top wine industry experts were able to pick up on these subtle differences.

Fun Wine Fact: When the industry first started using alternative closures they realized they needed to add some oxygen under the cap at bottling because all wines need a touch of oxygen to bring out their best characteristics and flavor profile.

Why a winery might not use screw caps

A lot of wineries use corks because it’s part of the tradition of how their wine has been made for centuries. It’s also more expensive to use screw caps vs. corks and many small family run wineries, particularly in Italy, France and Spain, may not be able to afford the machinery. This is especially the case if they sell wine of different quality tiers and would want caps for less expensive bottles and corks for others. Finally, certain grape varieties, like Nebbiolo, are highly tannic and require aging for the wine to open up. These bottles need corks to give the wine oxygen exposure and soften its tannins.

A guide to buying wines with alternative closures

There are pros and cons to using caps instead of a cork, but for the below wines, there’s no reason why a natural cork is necessary.

Whites you drink young

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Unoaked Chardonnays
• Oaked Chardonnays in the $10-20 range
• Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris (this is the same wine just named differently depending on where it comes from)
• Riesling in the $10-20 range
• Certain Rosés in the $10-25 range
• Lower-priced Grüner Vetliner from Austria

Less expensive reds

• Merlot in the $10-20 range
• Cabernet Sauvignon in the $10-20 range
• Pinot Noir in the $10-25 range
• Red wine blends in the $10-25 range

Wines that will typically have a real cork

White wines

• Most whites from the Rhône region
• Certain Chenin Blancs from the Loire
• Premier and Grand Cru Burgundys*
• Higher-end Riojas
• Oak-Aged American Chardonnays $25+
• Australian Chardonnay $30+
• German Rieslings
• Most Dessert Wine

*If you have a high quality wine that can age, like a Premier Crus Mersault or a Puligny Montrachet from Burgundy, you’ll find it has a cork so the wine can continue to develop as it matures.

Red wines

• Chianti Classicos and Riservas (because of tradition, you won’t find many alternative closures, like screw caps, in wines that come from the Chianti region)
• Barolo and Barbaresco
• Brunellos and Amarones
• Top Level American Cabernets and Merlots
• Northern Rhône Syrahs
• Higher-end Shiraz from Australia
• Wines from Bordeaux
• Châteauneuf-du-Papes and Gigondas
• Grand Crus Burgundys
• Crus Beaujolais
• Rioja Reservas, Priorats, Ribero del Dueros, Toros
• Higher-end wine from South Africa, Chile and Argentina

A note on Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir bottles can go either way when it comes to a cork or screw caps. It’s mostly a question of style because you can drink this wine young or age it – when you age it, the wine develops more earthy secondary flavors. Just be aware that more expensive Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon, and Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, always have corks.

Wine from New Zealand

New Zealand was actually the country that first pioneered screw cap use. About 90% of their red (mostly Pinot Noir) and white wines are bottled with screw caps.

If you’re eating out

You’ll find restaurants are not shy about serving wines with and without a cork. While it may seem jarring to forgo the ritual of a waiter coming to the table, presenting the bottle and then opening the wine with a corkscrew, you can still taste a wine that has a screw cap. You’ll just have less of a worry that the wine has been compromised by TCA.

In terms of wine by the glass, caps are much easier and faster for bartenders to open so they’re perfect for fast moving reds and whites. The only consideration for restaurants is when it comes to higher priced wines by the glass that may take two to three days to sell. You’ll want to wine vac the bottles each night and this can be harder to do when a wine bottle has an alternative closure.

7 Pros and cons of serving screw cap wines

1. Pros. For some people, screw caps are easier and faster to open than corks, which require a corkscrew.
2. Pros. Many Pinot Noirs use screw caps to help preserve the vibrancy of their fruit aromas and acidity.
3. Pros. If there’s no natural cork, you don’t have to worry that the wine is corked.
4. Pros. If you’re ordering a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or another high acidity white, it can actually be kept crisper and taste more fresh if the bottle has a screw cap.
5. Cons. While screw caps and synthetic corks are no longer associated with lower quality wine some people may still call attention to their previous reputation.
6. Cons. Many red wines, like a Napa Cabernet, a Brunello from Tuscany or a Chateau from Bordeaux, need a natural cork so they can develop as they age.
7. Cons. In Old World wine countries like France, Italy and Spain, screw caps can signal wine that was made by a commercial producer.

More key takeaways

Lower priced Merlot and Cabernet (in the $12-25 range) may come with a synthetic cork and this is perfectly alright as you’ll be drinking the wine young. You’ll find rosé can either be with a cork, a screw top or an artificial cork depending on if it’s from a smaller production winery or is a higher-end wine made for aging. Sparkling wines will either have natural or artificial corks depending on the price range of the bottle. However, you can now find some producers using bottle caps like you’d see on glass beer bottles.

How about wine that comes in a can?

You may have seen cans of wine showing up in the refrigerated wine section of your local shop. Not every type of wine can be put in a can because some wine reacts badly with the interior coating of the container. Wine that does come in a can tends to be easy drinking and for instant consumption. Nonetheless, it’s a new trend that only just started. Research is ongoing as to the long term impact on the flavor and quality of the wine.