Screwcap taint very low but does exist

A survey by the world’s biggest wine competition has shown that screwcaps can taint wine. Tasters at this year’s International Wine Challenge found that 4.9 per cent of the faulty bottles were attributed to screwcaps. These faults were put down to excessive sulphides, which give the wine an eggy or oniony flavour. Sam Harrop MW, who co-chaired the tasting, said that, ‘The 2006 IWC faults figures would suggest that many winemakers around the world do not have the expertise to use this seal to the best effect.’ Although this figure is low compared to the 27.8 per cent of faulty bottles with cork taint, Mr Harrop believes it’s essential that the wine industry works harder to educate winemakers as to the best practices when using screwcaps. Otherwise, he says, ‘This screwcap-associated fault may well become as big an issue as cork taint in years to come.’