FIGHTING HISTORY
In a few years, we'll have a better idea of just how right or wrong that century-long cork theory is
BY DAVID HIMMEL

Joni and John met me for dinner a few weeks ago at La Collina on Horizon Ridge. Since I would be in Chicago on Joni's birthday, I wanted to treat her early. I'll admit it was a convenience meal for me - I had serendipitously tasked myself to research screw-top wines. Dinner at an excellent mesa-side Italian joint was fitting for both intentions. 

"You're ready for a scotch, aren't you?" John asked as we were seated. On most days he'd be right. He knows me well; I do like a nice scotch. But I had to find out about this screw-top thing. I asked our waiter if he had any screw-top wines.

Joni and John looked at me appalled; even embarrassed. 

"In the mood for some Boone's Farm?" Joni teased.

"We don't carry that here," the waiter quickly defended.

"No," I said. "I write a wine column for Liberty Watch: The Magazine and I'm researching screw-top wines."

"I'd make up a lie like that if my friends were teasing me, too," the waiter joked. 

He did point out two different wines at La Collina that were screw-top. I first went with the Pinot Noir from the Benton Lane Winery in Oregon (2003 First Class, $40). This dry wine regularly tests as one of the world's healthiest because of resveratrol. Resveratrol is a cancer-fighting agent found in many red wines. It also helps prevent heart disease and can keep lines off your face as you age with your collection in the cellar.

It was surprising that there was no screw-top from Australia or New Zealand on the wine list. Up until then, those were the only regions I'd come across that offered the new way of bottling. There's a good reason for that. Oz and New Zealand were the first countries to experiment with screw-tops in the mid-'90s. 

The rationale for steering away from the cork is to prevent corking. Corking is a result of too much air leaking into the bottle from a bad seal or a diseased cork and making the wine taste like what a foot and wet dog smell like. Another way wine makers have tried to get around bad corks was to plug the bottles with rubber corks. These rubber bungs can still cause an air leak. 

With a screw-top, there is more assurance that the seal is air-tight. There are some enthusiasts who might say that a little air leaking through is what helps the wine age so well. We also know that storing a bottle of wine on its side is to keep the cork wet. That may also enhance the flavor and keep the wine from going bad. If that's true, wouldn't something be missing from a stored screw-top? In a few years, when screw-tops that have been waiting in a cellar are brought up, we'll have a better idea of just how right or wrong that century-long theory is. 

Many restaurants are offering a variety of screw-top wines. But as our waiter pointed out, people are still reluctant to buy a bottle unless it is of the cork nature. Still in its infancy, the screw-top bottle makes people think of classlessness. 

While Joni and John knocked back 7&7s, I slugged my pinot in an effort to pace the conversation. It's nothing for them to grill me about my love life because they're family friends. 

"You're not dating anyone?" Joni asked.

"Nope. You see, all my girlfriends are getting married."

The other screw-top bottle La Collina carries is direct from Napa Valley, California. It was a 2004 Hess Collection Chardonnay ($18.50) and tasted bitter. The usual lightness and fruit-filled tastes that accompany a good chardonnay were lacking. 

"Besides, I prefer to come and go as I please. I answer to no one," I said, chest out and proud. 

Did that sound bitter? Maybe it was the wine talking …

"I admire you," John said holding his drink up for a toast. Joni shot him a look.

After choking back the chardonnay, I ordered another glass of the pinot. The waiter laughed at me because it's not proper to switch wines. But I was researching. And I've decided that screw-tops are the way to go, preferably the ones from the southern hemisphere.

The next day, Joni and John called me from Sam's Club reporting that there were several New Zealand and Australian screw-top wines for sale. Get a membership if you don't have one already.

And don't be embarrassed to avoid buying cork bottles. The taste from a screw-top is just as delicious, and often the price is lower. (Perhaps they're cheaper in an effort to encourage the new trend.) Some might argue that opening a cork is part of the romanticism of drinking wine. But the less time you spend opening a bottle, the quicker you can get to the real romance. The only thing easier is boxed wine. But that is, without question, just plain tacky. LW