Wine Closures: Screw Cap vs. Cork vs. Glass (and Why It Actually Matters)

As a sommelier I am both thrilled and deeply saddened when someone orders a bottle of wine that’s closed with a Stelvin Closure (screw-cap).
It saves me a lot of time on a busy Saturday night, but it also takes a little bit of the romance out of opening the bottle tableside.
I feel more like I’m cracking a beer than opening a well-aged Barolo.

There’s a reason why opening a bottle of wine should feel different than opening anything else in the kitchen or restaurant.

The long twirl of a corkscrew after removing the foil perfectly, the gentle resistance of wood fibers holding tight into the neck of the bottle until, there’s that satisfying little hiss of air that tells you something good is coming.

The truth of the matter is that closures aren’t just functional. they’re also sensory gateways. They set the stage for just how we experience wine before we’ve even poured the first glass. Tradition, practicality, sustainability, and even status are all foiled up in this tiny detail at the top of a wine bottle.

And here’s the thing: closures matter more than most people realize. They don’t just change the experience of opening a bottle; they can change how the wine itself ages, breathes, and even tastes, especially over time.

Cork: History, Tradition, and the Pop Heard Around the World

For centuries, cork has been the king, and with good reason, as it’s nothing short of magical.

Cork doesn’t come from just any tree, you shouldn’t go into your backyard and try to make your own for some extra cash. It comes from the cork oak, a rugged survivor mostly rooted in Portugal and Spain. Every nine years, its bark can be carefully stripped away without harming the tree (watch this video on YouTube and prepare to be amazed, but know they make it look easier than it really is!), and it regenerates itself over time, offering another harvest for the future generations. It’s renewable, ancient, and more than a little magical.

Cork works because it’s elastic, it compresses snugly into the bottle’s neck and then slowly expands, creating a near-perfect seal. But it isn’t airtight, which is a good thing. Tiny amounts of oxygen slip through the pores of the cork, micro-dosing the wine with air, and helping it evolve over time. This is why many of the greatest bottles in history have aged under cork, and why they continue to seek it out today.

And then, there’s the romance I keep talking about. The pop of a cork is so iconic it’s become a little symbolic for celebration. We don’t just drink wine, we release it into the wild and allow it to take away some of our inhibitions in the process.

Okay, now for the bad stuff. Cork isn’t perfect, and people estimate about 1–3% of bottles sealed with cork fall victim to “cork taint,” caused by a compound called TCA (trichloroanisole). Even a trace amount of this can make wine smell like wet cardboard or moldy basement. They say the human palate is sensitive enough to taste about a tablespoon in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
It’s heartbreaking when you’ve held onto a bottle for years and finally open it up and it’s not drinkable.

Cork also varies pretty drastically in quality I learned when I visited Portugal a few years back. A hand-punched cork from pristine bark behaves differently than an agglomerated cork made from leftover granules glued together. For producers, cork can be expensive, and for drinkers, it can be unreliable.

And yet, despite its many many flaws, cork has held its throne for over 300 years.
It carries history in its grain, and because no other closure has yet matched its blend of practicality and magic.

Screw Caps: The Practical Revolution

In the 1970s, a quiet revolution began…and it came with a twist (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Screw caps (also known by the brand name Stelvin! Which is also the fanciest way of naming them) were introduced as an alternative to cork, primarily in Australia and New Zealand.
Why here you might wonder?

Because screw caps solved a huge problem, they eliminated cork taint, they were consistent, they were easy to open, they kept wine fresh, and the biggest kicker of all: it was rumored to cost some winemakers more to import the corks than it did to make their wines. Imagine having to double to price of your product because the cork costs a ton?

Unlike cork, screw caps are nearly airtight, which means the wine inside changes far more slowly than it would under traditional cork. For young and crisp wines meant to be enjoyed fresh (think Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, or rosé) screw caps are a dream.
You get what the winemaker intended, bottle after bottle after bottle, without the lottery of cork.
And also nothing to slow you down at midnight after a long shift and the need for a quick glass of chilled wine.

Of course, airtight isn’t always perfect.
Some wines sealed under screwcap can develop “reduction” aromas (think sulfuric notes like struck match or burnt rubber). These usually blow off with aeration (decant it please!!), but they also reveal the trade-offs of such tight control.
Because anyone with overbearing parents can attest that they’ll try to rebel somehow.

Still, screw caps have won over many skeptics.
Today, New Zealand bottles almost everything under screwcap, from $10 Sauvignon Blanc to $200 Pinot Noir.
Australia, too, has embraced them across all price levels, and Europe is slowly catching up, though traditional cork still grips tightly there.

And here’s the irony: while cork screams prestige and screw caps scream practicality, the truth is, some of the highest-quality wines in the world now age decently well under screwcap.
It’s no longer a question of cheap versus fine, it’s more of a question of what’s right for the wine inside.

Glass Closures: The New Elegance

And then, there’s the new kid on the block: glass closures, often called Vinolok or Vinoseal.

These little crystal stoppers look like something out of a perfume bottle as they sit atop luxury rosés, boutique whites, or limited-edition dessert wines like jewelry crowning the bottle.
They’re sleek, modern, reusable, and undeniably elegant.
I always want to save these bottles to reuse for making something, I can just never decide what to use them for.

From a technical standpoint, glass closures are airtight like screw caps, so they don’t risk cork taint. They create a nice clean, uniform seal, and they’re easy to reseal if you don’t finish the bottle in one sitting (rare, but possible if you get called away).

The downsides are mostly cost-driven. They’re expensive, and they’re still unusual, so some people aren’t sure what to make of them. And while they look sustainable (glass is endlessly recyclable), they often require plastic or rubber rings to actually seal properly.
So…how sustainable is it really?

But make no mistake, glass closures aren’t just a novelty that pop up here and there. They’re a growing statement, especially for brands that want to stand apart in the endless line of grocery store shelves.
Where cork is traditional and screwcap is practicality, glass is mostly branding for now, think more luxury with a hint of exclusivity.

The Science of Oxygen and Aging

As I’ve sort of hinted earlier for you, closures aren’t just about convenience, they actively are shaping how wine ages.

Cork allows for a slow trickle of oxygen in, giving wine space to soften, deepen, and evolve over time. Think about wine in a barrel that’s allowed to breathe and age. The same general concept is happening with cork and a glass bottle, just on a smaller scale.
That’s also why some of the greatest Bordeaux or Burgundies in history, which are often stored for decades, owe their lives (and price tags) to cork.

Screw caps, on the other hand, are virtually airtight. The wine inside ages much more slowly, which can be fantastic for fresh whites but sometimes frustrating for reds that need oxygen to mellow tannins.
Scientists are even experimenting with different screwcap liners to allow controlled oxygen exchange, but none have really perfected it yet.

Glass closures, like screw caps, are mostly airtight. So again, better for wines meant to be consumed in the near future (think next week) than for bottles destined for decades in a cellar.

It’s not that one is “better” than the others, although I’m sure plenty will debate it with you, it’s more that they each create a different journey for the wine.
If cork is an open window, screwcap is a sealed jar, and glass is a display case, each has its little place, but they do work to change the story inside.

Sustainability and the Future of Closures

Of course, in 2025, we can’t talk about wine without talking about sustainability.

Cork has an incredible environmental story that creates jobs and makes millennials get a little teary-eyed when talking about it. Harvesting bark doesn’t kill the tree, and cork forests in Portugal and Spain preserve ecosystems, wildlife, and biodiversity. These trees are federally protected, and it’s a crime to cut them down.
In fact, cork might be the most eco-friendly closure of all.
The slow nature of it can be frustrating though. It takes about 30 years from sprout to first harvest on a cork tree, with the next harvest and one after that taking about 9 more years.
When I spoke with someone in Portugal who was planting more cork trees he told me it wasn’t for his benefit, or even his children. It was for his grandchildren. Imagine doing something that you have no expected profits from for another 2 generations?!
I sometimes have issues thinking I need to blog for years before I get any kind of payback.
These farmers on working on some next level cosmic fairy dust.

Screw caps are technically recyclable, but only if the foil and liners are properly handled (they’re often not). They rely on aluminum, which is energy-intensive to produce but also infinitely reusable if recycled.

Glass closures? They’re elegant, yes, but also heavy to produce and ship. The added weight of glass over millions of bottles carries its own fun little carbon cost that can add up.

So the future isn’t just about which closure works best, it’s also about which one balances tradition, science, and sustainability.

So…Which Closure Should You Choose?

Here’s the truth: it really depends.

For everyday drinking wines you want fresh and crisp? Screw caps are your best friend.
For bottles you want to age, to let evolve and soften with time? Cork still reigns supreme.
For boutique bottles, gifts, or wines you want to show off as conversation pieces? Glass closures will be charming and a conversation piece.

Now let’s talk about our feelings (not too deeply though, or I might need to call one of my doctors to help!).

Cork still carries that prestige and aura of romance. A corked bottle feels serious, celebratory, and pretty timeless.
Screw caps still feel, to many (myself included), very casual, even when they’re sealing an award-winning Shiraz.
Glass closures feel chic and Instagram-worthy, almost like drinking from a designer bottle with your designer bag in the background and Cartier rings positioned so you can see them in the cheers-ing video you take.

But psychology cuts deeper: people associate cork with age-worthiness, screwcap with freshness, and glass with luxury, and wineries know it.
They choose closures not just for their performance aspect, but for the screaming loud message they send.

Which means that when you open a bottle, the closure is already shaping your expectations and messing with your mind before a single drop hits your glass.

From cork forests in Portugal to screwcap-lined cellars in New Zealand to the glittering rise of glass stoppers, closures tell us about the past, present, and future of wine.
So next time you open a bottle, pause for just a second to take note of what sort of closure is saving your wine from spoilage and ask yourself if it’s intended purpose is being fulfilled.