What does Screw cap mean?

A screw cap is an aluminium cap with a sealing liner that keeps the wine fresh and carries no risk of cork taint.

Also known as: Screwcap, Twist-off cap

A screw cap is an aluminium cap that twists onto a thread on the bottle neck. Inside the cap sits a sealing liner, and it is the liner that decides how much oxygen can pass. Producers can choose liners of different tightness depending on the style of the wine.

The screw cap broke through widely in Australia and New Zealand in the early 2000s, where producers of riesling and sauvignon blanc wanted to escape cork taint. Today it is used all over the world, for quality wines too, and in Europe especially in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

The advantages are that a screw cap seals consistently from bottle to bottle, causes no cork taint and keeps fresh, fruity aromas. The bottle can also be stored upright. The idea that a screw cap means a simpler wine is a myth.

Wines under screw cap can age, and trials show that they develop slowly and evenly. Because the seal is so tight, some wines can instead show reductive notes, such as struck match or flint, which often fade once the wine gets air in the glass.