CORK OR SCREWCAP?
THE WILLIAMSON APPROACH
Cork or Screwcap?
We respect the ceremony of cork. We choose the consistency of screwcap.
For us, the decision is simple: the closure should protect the wine, not become part of the gamble.
A modern screwcap gives every bottle a more consistent opportunity to mature as we intended—preserving the vineyard character, balance and freshness we worked to put there.
TRADITION AND CEREMONY
The Romance of Cork
There is something satisfying about opening a bottle sealed with cork. The cut of the foil. The turn of the screw. That soft final note as the cork leaves the bottle and dinner officially begins.
It has the sound of someone opening his heart to friends. Assuming, of course, the darned thing does not crumble into the wine.
Natural cork has sealed fine wine successfully for centuries. It brings tradition, ceremony and a reassuring sense that something worthwhile is about to happen.
Cork is also a natural material. Each piece has its own structure, density and oxygen-transmission characteristics. That individuality is part of its charm—and part of its uncertainty.
WHAT THE CLOSURE CHANGES
The Bottle Is Still Part of the Winemaking
Cork and screwcap can both protect wine, but they do so differently.
Natural Cork
Natural cork allows wine to mature, but individual corks can differ in their oxygen-transmission characteristics.
That variation means bottles of the same wine, stored under the same conditions, may develop somewhat differently.
Natural cork may also introduce TCA, the compound commonly associated with the damp, musty aroma known as cork taint.
Modern Screwcap
Screwcap eliminates natural cork as a source of TCA and reduces closure-related bottle variation.
Different screwcap liners provide different oxygen-transmission characteristics. Selecting the appropriate liner allows the winemaker to choose how the closure will support the wine’s development.
The cap may look simple. The decision behind it is not.
MATURING IN THE BOTTLE
Wine Does Not Need Cork to Age
Wine continues to evolve after bottling through complex chemical reactions involving tannins, pigments, acids, aroma compounds, sulfur compounds and small amounts of oxygen.
Natural cork is not required for those changes to occur. Wines sealed under screwcap can soften, develop secondary and tertiary aromas and gain complexity over time.
What matters is the relationship between the wine, the closure, the oxygen available at bottling and the conditions under which the bottle is stored.
The closure does not create an age-worthy wine. It protects the age-worthy wine already inside the bottle.
CONSISTENCY WITH PURPOSE
Why Williamson Chooses Screwcap
We make wine from distinctive vineyards across Napa and Sonoma. By the time a bottle reaches your table, years of farming, harvesting, fermentation, blending and maturation have already gone into it.
We are not prepared to surrender all that work at the final moment to the natural variation of a piece of tree bark.
Screwcap removes cork as a potential source of TCA and greatly reduces closure-related bottle variation. It helps us preserve freshness, fruit, balance and the individual character of the vineyard.
European wine traditions have taught us a great deal and remain the inspiration behind many Williamson wines. But these are California wines, and we choose the closure that gives each bottle its best opportunity to arrive at your table as we intended.
PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES
Simple to Open. Serious About the Wine.
No Corkscrew
Open the bottle cleanly without tools or ceremony.
Easy to Close
Replace the cap securely when wine remains in the bottle.
Flexible Storage
Store the bottle upright or horizontally.
Greater Consistency
Reduce variation caused by individual natural corks.
Convenience is pleasant. Consistency is the real reason.
WINE BELONGS AT THE TABLE
The Best Closure Is the One You Open
A bottle exists to be shared with food, friends and conversation. The closure has one important job: protect the wine until that evening arrives.
Once the cap is turned, the vineyard should speak for itself. Preferably beside something good from the kitchen.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Tradition Belongs in the Wine
A closure should not announce the quality of a bottle. The vineyard, the fruit and the wine should take care of that.
Cork gives us a small ceremony.
Screwcap gives us greater control over what happens next.
For Williamson, preserving the quality inside the bottle matters more than preserving tradition outside it.