The Auswine Forum

We went out to the Moonlight Cinema last night and took along a cheap and cheery white to aid enjoyment of the film and general ambience.

As I quickly and easily opened the bottle with one deft twist, I just as easily sealed the bottle to it put back until the glass was empty, safe in the knowledge that no wine would spill out into the wine cooler laying on the grass.

Apart from the obvious benefits of no corked wines, upright storage and youthful wines, the ease of opening and resealing a bottle has come to the fore on more than one occasion over this summer.

A restaurant we frequent due to the cheap prices and great food has notoriously bad service and even getting a bottle of wine open can be a major task. Not this year with screwcaps though. The glasses are on the table so we're all OK in the wine department well before the waitress eventually arrives. Not only that, if we don't drink the whole bottle, the cap's back on and we're away with no fuss or finding some old cork that they probably got out of the bin.

I'm just loving the practicality of the screwcaps.

bacchaebabe wrote:
I'm just loving the practicality of the screwcaps.

I agree on both of those advantages, easy opening and safe resealing (at least from spillage) plus the ability to store as suits you and your storage facilities.

Also no corked wines is a huge advantage for me.

They are not yet a perfect seal, but the best available IMO.

Maybe that is the greatest aspect of Screwcaps, the quick and easy twist-off? Beware of your fingers though, the edge can be very sharp! My mind has drifted to possible legal issues..

Cheers,

Patrik

PJ wrote:Maybe that is the greatest aspect of Screwcaps, the quick and easy twist-off? Beware of your fingers though, the edge can be very sharp! My mind has drifted to possible legal issues..

Cheers,

Patrik

Patrik,

the screwcap opening method that has become de rigeur is to hold the bottom of the bottle with one hand, and the skirt of the screwcap, below the crimping, with the other.

A quick anticlockwise twist at the bottle cracks the seal nicely, a lot easier on the wrist and no risk of cuts!!

I couldn't agree more Kris

As for hand injuries from open bottles, screwcaps are not really a problem. The problem was the capsules first used after lead was banned in about 1992. Many of these were hard aluminium alloys. I ran a number of big functions back then openning a couple of hundred bottles a night. There had to be bandaids in the cash box because if you had anything other than a neat edge on the cut capsule you'd rip your hands open. Never good bleeding all over the customers.

Cheers
David

I'm in favour of stelvin like many. However recently I had a bottle of 2003 Weaver Lenswood Sauvignon Blanc on which the whole stelvin thing was loose and just came off altogether and the wine was oxidised. So it is not perfect - although this was my first faulty stelvin in god knows how many over the past few years.

In general I think screwcaps are fantastic. But before any purchase a quick 'feel' of the closure is important. I work in retail and we have had a few batches of screwcapped wines that, with a relatively gentle vertical 'pull', has resulted in the entire closure coming loose. Also look out for any dents, even a small one can compromise the ingestion of oxygen............. Murray, good call with the opening procedure!

Ease of opening is handy.

Nice tip on openning - twist from the bottom (more torque).

Beware of faulty closures (seals). Easier to detect then cork enclosures at point of purchase.

No corked wine

I forget

Can be stored lying down or upright !