We are always asked, “Why do we not use corkscrews for our village & single vineyard wines?”
A screw cap has the following qualitative advantages for us:
- Improved aromatic stability, slower oxidative aging
- Zöhrer wines are as natural and pure as possible. Through the use of a screw cap, a significantly lower use of sulfur is necessary.
- During the filling, it is crucial whether the bottleneck is overlaid with CO2 or not. If it is not superimposed, the influence of oxygen is similar to that of bottling with a natural cork – the air in the bottle supports the ripening process.
- A large part of the wine’s maturation happens in the first half year after bottling, due to the oxygen in the bottleneck or cork – about 4 mg/l O2.
- The further maturation by diffusing the oxygen between cork and bottleneck is incalculable and varies from cork to cork, sometimes many times.
natural cork: 0,5 mg – 23 mg(!!) O2/year
screw cap: 0,0 mg – 1,5 mg
The best corks are as tight as screw caps. However, the tightness cannot be guaranteed by a cork producer. The result can be enormous differences in bottles from the same batch. With screw caps, maturation is predictable; with natural cork, it is not. - Definitely the most important reason: no wine defects caused by cork!
In terms of quality, we are not guided by emotions in this case, but rely on facts and experience.
