By Fred Delkin

"Screw cap" has forever been a derogatory term among wine aficionados, who equate it with the jug wines adorning the lower shelves in supermarkets. However technology has recently perfected a screw cap closure that tightly seals wine bottle contents from that ol’ debbil oxidation. Now an
increasing number of 750ml bottles in the under $10 price range sport screw caps beneath the tradtional foil sleeve...and many consumers are welcoming this avoidance of the sometime travails of using a corkscrew. Restaurant sommeliers, of course, decry the lack of drama in unscrewing a
cap.

The use of the newly engineered screw cap has gone from 3% use by wineries in 2002 to 24% in 2006. Australian and New Zealand wineries lead the usage parade. There is also a trend toward usage of sytnthetic, colored corks as opposed to the natural bark used for centuries to craft closures. Natural cork is still the overwhelming choice worldwide for bottlings above the $15 retail range as tradition is maintained for those particular about their choice of vino.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley Vineyards pushes the tree hugger’s button as the first winery in the world to use cork stoppers harvested from "responsibly managed forestlands" as certified by the

Forest Stewardship Council. Cork is a renewable resource and is harvested from European forests once every decade, without detriment to the tree. Natural cork has been rightfully blamed for the classification of a wine as being "corked" and this term is justification for turning down a wine tasted before pouring. A small percentage of natural cork closures admit a surplus of air to the wine, creating oxidation tainting the wine’s flavor...hence the recent move towarx alternative bottle closures.

Wine’s health benefits keep growing

The American Medical Association declares that one or two glasses of wine daily "contributes to healthy living." New medical research reveals that a pigmentation chemical tdhat makes grape skings and wines red has been found to kill human leukemia and lymphoma cells cultured in a
laboratory. Past credible studies have credited red wine (in moderation) with enhancing the human sex urge. This may lead one to conclude that one must consume a goodly quantity of white wine in order to loosen yours or a companion’s morals.

QUICK SIPS...Austrian wines have hit our shores in quantity for the first time. We first sampled them at their source and deemed them superb bargains. Shipping raises their price, but there is still worthwhile enjoyment in the leading export, the native white grape Gruner Veltliner, a tangy
enhancement for seafood and poultry...The European wine association Vinexpo has just released a study of 20-25-year-olds in Europe, Japan and the United States which documents that this age group prefers varietals that are light, fruity and refreshing and they love labels that are cute and
irreverent. This generation is also consuming a higher proportion of wine vs. beer and hard liquor...summer’s here and in addition to recommending Gruner Veltliner as a warm weather refresher, we toutd Sauvignon Blanc as a stellar choice. New Zealand offerings are the world’s finest, but Chile and Argentina also shine in this category.

© 2007 Oregon Magazine