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Comment by danieltillett | Hacker News Reader

I am with you all the way except for the cork. Here in Australia we have almost 100% converted over to the far superior Stelvin screw tops [1]. The only time I have to get out my corkscrew is when I drink European wine.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_cap_(wine)

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Yes that's a valid point, glass or screw caps are also used increasingly in Europe now, but cork remains in heavy use especially for the pricier wines. In France (and many other countries) it would be very difficult to sell a "good" wine with a screw top, as people just expect the cork as part of the "user experience".

There was quite a lot of initial consumer resistance when first introduced, but over time we all got used to it. Even very expensive wines uses screw caps these days - not getting wine that is “corked” (i.e. tastes like wet newspaper) anymore is fantastic. Screwcaps really are a superior way to seal wine.

> but cork remains in heavy use especially for the pricier wines.

At my local grocery in california the most expensive wine is screw-top and most of the cheaper ones have corks. My favorite wine name is screw-kappa-napa which is a medium priced wine that comes in screw-top bottle.

I fully believe that such a screw cap is objectively superior. But I really like the ritual of finding a cork-screw and POP pulling out the cork. For me it's all just different concentrations of ethanol without the ceremony.

I used to think the same too, but it really is just habit. Once you get used to it the “crack” sounds as good as the “pop”. About the only downside is you lose the skill to get out an old cork intact - the last few I have attempted I have absolutely butchered.

Do you produce the cork in Australia? Maybe it's not worth to ship it around the world just to be serve as a cap on a consumable.

Cork is degradable, recyclable, and does a very good job at a specific thing. It's the bark of a tree which regenerates every few years, so its harvest leaves the tree unharmed.

Maybe it makes sense for Australia not to use it but I don't see why it should be replaced everywhere.

Cork introduces cork taint [1]. My personal experience is around 1 bottle out of 12 is badly enough affected by cork taint to degrade the wine. With screw caps you just don’t get this which is great.

The only real issue with screw caps is the wine makers inexperience with using them can put too much sulphite in the wine, but this is a problem that has mostly gone away over time.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint

> My personal experience is around 1 bottle out of 12 is badly enough affected by cork taint to degrade the wine.

You know, I like wine. I've drunk plenty of wine in my time. I've read folks write things like '1 bottle out of 12 [is cork-tainted].' And yet I've never, ever had a taint bottle of wine. Is it just that I'm drinking younger wines?

FWIW, I love real corks and I hate how wine and liquor bottles have been replacing them with lifeless plastic.

Not everyone is affected to the same degree by cork taint - you might be one of those lucky people that are not sensitive to it. If you have never had a bottle of tainted wine then this is quite likely.

You can really notice cork taint when you are drinking the same wine/ vintage regularly. You will open a bottle and it just tastes "flat" compared to what you are expecting. Open another bottle of the same wine and it tastes fine. This is cork taint.

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