Drink Screw-topped Wines

To many wine drinkers, screw-capped bottles carry the stigma of cheapness. But an increasingly vocal segment of the wine industry argues that screw caps preserve wine better than the traditional corks.

Tyler Colman, author of A Year of Wine: Perfect Pairings, Great Buys, and What to Sip for Each Season, says that 5 to 10 percent of wine sealed with corks may spoil because of a volatile compound known as TCA that comes from the cork and can make wine smell and taste musty. (According to the Cork Quality Council, which represents the nation's cork suppliers, the rate of cork taint is likely below 1 percent and is falling because of new screening procedures.)

While Colman still prefers corks for certain red wines meant to be aged with their semipermeable seals, he recommends screw caps for crisp, everyday white wines that are typically consumed soon after they are made.