
Corks vs. Screw Caps
Where do you stand on the cork versus screw cap issue? I have to admit that for a long time I was a cork snob. For me a good old fashioned cork meant tradition and class. Besides, twisting off a screw cap seemed dangerously close to opening a bottle of soda pop. But I came around, albeit slowly, with the help of New Zealand and their wonderful Sauvignon Blancs. And from what I have been reading screw caps seem to be an ecologically sound decision. Could I have been wrong? It seems that things have changed. Environmentalists are now calling on the wine industry to return to the cork. First off, it is a renewable resource. The cork fiber is stripped from the tree then regrows and produces the next year's cork. Secondly, Mediterranean Cork Oak forests are losing their profitability and in danger of being destroyed for development. So all you cork snobs out there can still hold your head high and listen for that satisfying pop.