Scientists aim to lift the lid on the great ‘cork or cap’ debate

IT is a debate that has raged for decades among wine lovers. Which is better, a cork or a screw-top?

While traditionalists claim that only a cork allows wine to age correctly, modernists insist that the metal caps prevent oxidation and corking, and allow easy opening.

Now Oxford University is about to lift the lid on the argument with an experiment designed by its Crossmodal Research Laboratory.

Participants will be asked to rate how the sound, aroma, feel and sight of a series of wine closures changes their perception and taste. As well as cork and screw caps, stoppers made from plastics and plant-based polymers will also be tested, as well as metal flip-tops. Brain-scanning headgear will also monitor people’s pleasure receptors.

Prof Charles Spence, head of experimental psychology at the laboratory, said: “Our brains have a powerful hold over our taste buds, and it will be interesting to see the differing effects the multi-sensory aspects of wine drinking have on our perception of taste.”

Corks have been used to close bottles since the 1400s. Some specialists argue that the slow ingress of oxygen through the porous cork plays a vital role in ageing a wine.

The distinctive creak and pop of a wine cork also conjures up feelings of celebration, intimacy and relaxation, which can trigger sensations far beyond the simple taste of the wine.

However, some experts believe up to 20 per cent of wine is spoilt by cork taint, a fungal contamination. Screw caps have only been used since 1964 and became more common in the 1980s after a period of poor cork quality.

Some sommeliers claim screw-caps can cause a process known as “reduction”, which leads to a sulphur smell and can alter the taste.