# Screw caps



## rexmor (Jun 8, 2006)

I meant to ask this question in my last night's message on bottles....Increasingly I'm seeing screw caps on quality wines, especially from New Zealand, Australia and a few American wineries like Bonny Doon. It seems to make a lot of sense to me since most of the wines we're making will not be aged for extended periods. 


Is there any reason the screw cap on this type of bottlecan't be sanitized and used over? Anyone have any experience with this?


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## jcnoren (Jun 8, 2006)

Good question!


Does the screw cap on/for these wine bottles have a inside a rubber liner (like on screw caps for pop)?


Inorder to reuse a exsisting screw cap I think there would be 2 concerns 1)ability to make a good seal and 2)sanitation, can you get the inside liner of the cap (if there is one) clean.


JC


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## pkcook (Jun 8, 2006)

rexmor,


As I understand it,producers are going to caps due to cork taint that causes a notable percentage of wine lose per year. Apparently, this isn't a problem with caps. The hardest thing theyface in the conversionis tradition (just not very pleasing opening a bottle without the pop of the cork




). I believe you will see more and morehigh and low dollar wines being offered with screw tops.


Everyting I've read doesn't recommend you reuse a cap due to sanitation concerns. Replacement caps can be purchased though. I retain my 4/3/1.5 liter jug caps to use when I bulk age small batches but there is seldom any contact with the wine. I soak them well in sulfite too.


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## bj4271 (Jul 24, 2006)

Has anyone tried screw caps with shrink-wrap capsules over them?


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## geocorn (Jul 24, 2006)

The big issue is getting a good seal using a screw cap. The wineries have high dollar equipment to assure a good seal for long term storage. The screw caps available to a home wine maker are not near the quality of the wineries. As a result, I would only use screw caps for wines that I plan to consume within 1 year, like an Island Mist. 


I would also be concerned with thread consistancy from bottle to bottle. The threads may not work with the 28mm cap sold by home wine making stores.


My guess for the near future that as more and more wineries go to screw caps, the price of traditional corks will come down for the home wine maker.


In addition, you can probably sanitize and re-use the poly caps, but I would definitely not re-use either the cap that came with the bottle or the metal screw cap available from most home wine making stores.*Edited by: geocorn *


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