Some wine drinkers love the romance of cork and can overlook its fallibility as a closure.
Others, like myself, prefer a closure that is more convenient and can be trusted: the screw cap.
But does the closure used in a wine have any real impact on taste?
The crew at Limestone Coast merlot specialists Mérite Wines sent me samples of their new-release 2018 Mérite Merlot under both cork and screw cap.
I served the wines blind to a recent tasting group of around 25 people, presenting them as different wines.
When I asked who preferred Wine A, or Wine B, around two-thirds of the group preferred the wine under screw cap, several describing it as "fresher".
Not scientific, or definitive, but definitely interesting as both wines appeared in excellent condition.
Mérite commands interest because it is one of only a handful of Australian merlots not made from the rather dull D3V14 clone, which was widely planted across the country.
The Mérite merlots are made from a selection of new clones from France that thrive in cooler climes.
The grapes grown on a 40-hectare vineyard in Wrattonbully on South Australia's Limestone Coast that saw 18 hectares planted with the new clones: 8R, Q45, 181, and 343, in 2006.
Those vines are now fully mature and the 2018 release shows the merits of the new clones; producing wines with greater weight and more palate interest than most Australian merlots.
The wines were bottled under Ref1 corks and screwcaps. Take your choice. The 2018 is $60 a bottle and drinking superbly on release.
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