The question troubles lovers of fine wines and often sparks very lively discussions.
On one side are the defenders of the cork stopper, for whom any other type of closure is an unforgivable lapse in taste. Opening a bottle of wine is part of a very solemn ritual in which the host is keen to present the finest wine from their cellar. If, unfortunately—as sometimes happens—the wine has cork taint, the unfortunate host will be mortified and will curse the winemaker. On the other side are the supporters of the screw cap, who want to put an end to "cork, that absolute archaism" responsible for cork taint and costly.
Statistics are not particularly revealing when it comes to cork-related faults. However, there has been an increase in sales of bottles fitted with screw caps, even in France and Italy, where traditions die hard. New World wine-producing countries—California or Australia, for example—see things differently; their dining habits differ greatly from ours, and no one is shocked to open a Penfolds Syrah at 60 francs a bottle while throwing their steak on the grill.
From a purely oenological standpoint, the answer is simpler: for wines that tend toward reduction (Cornalin, for example), a cork stopper is essential. This type of closure is also recommended for highly expressive, fruity white wines (Petite Arvine, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat). By contrast, floral-style white wines (Chasselas, Gewürztraminer, Savagnin, Chenin) will be perfectly at ease in a bottle sealed with a screw cap. And wines for long ageing? For some prestigious French estates, using a screw cap is no longer a taboo subject—quite the opposite. To be seen, or rather tasted, in a few years.
The debate is far from over; the question of closures remains above all a matter of personal sensitivity, culture, upbringing, or generation.
