The switch began as a quest to get rid of cork taint, the number one problem affecting winemakers today, said Juan Micieli-Martinez, winemaker for Martha Clara Vineyards. Cork taint affects 1 to 10 percent of all wines, said Mr. Micieli-Martinez, whose winery recently made the switch to metallic screw caps.
The fungus causing the problem is 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA), which comes straight from the cork tree.
"They've tried to eradicate TCA from cork through different techniques," Mr. Micieli-Martinez said, "but they're not always successful. So what winds up happening is the wine comes in contact with the fungus, and it leaks into the wine."
Someone buys the wine, pops the cork, and blames the nasty smell on the winery, he said. The screw cap fixes all that, Mr. Micieli-Martinez explained. The metallic screw eliminates cork taint while preserving the quality of the wine.
Last year, Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue became the first winery on Long Island to use screw caps on its bottles. Since then, the fever has spread to wineries across the island.
But not everyone is convinced.
"I'm not sure I'm a total believer when it comes to wine being stored for a long time," says Chris Baiz, owner of Old Field Vineyards in Southold. Screw caps are fine for younger wines, but for long-term aging, corks provide a better exchange of oxygen, said Mr. Baiz, who is also president of the Long Island Wine Council.
Kareem Massoud, winemaker for Paumanok Vineyards, disagreed.
"Winemakers go through a lot of trouble to reduce the oxygen in wine," he said.
Though a little oxygen is necessary for the proper aging of red wines, the less oxygen the better, he said. For example, when you compare a regular bottle to a three-liter bottle of wine (which is four times the size), the bigger bottle ages better.
"The reason these big bottles are set to age better is because there's less oxygen, but still enough to age. It just ages more slowly," Mr. Massoud said. "The screw cap makes a tighter seal than a cork. So it accomplishes the same thing as a three-liter bottle of wine."
Some people, however, remain stuck on cork.
"I might consider [making the switch], but I would never get away entirely from cork," says Bud Koehler, owner of Osprey's Dominion Vineyards in Southold. "I think a high-priced wine deserves something more than a screw cap.
"Screw caps take away from the ambiance of opening a bottle of wine -- like a birthday cake without candles," he added.
Mr. Baiz agreed, noting that "There's a certain romance, formality and drama about pulling the cork out. I happen to love that part."
Twenty years ago, screw caps were used on only the cheapest wines. Today, things have changed, but old-time prejudices persist.
"I went to somebody's house and bought them wine, and they were surprised I had bought a screw cap," said Setauket resident Barbara Kuhn, while eating lunch last week at Martha Clara. "It had nothing to do with the wine itself. It was just because it had a screw cap on it ... and up until recently, I thought the same way."
"I'll be honest with you," said Mike Neale, a visitor from London who was wine-tasting at Paumanok. "The minute I saw this bottle of wine there with a screw top, my instant reaction was, 'Is this a cheap wine?' "
Other wineries, though sympathetic to the screw cap, simply cannot afford to switch.
"The new machinery is expensive," Mr. Koehler said. "We're not a big winery, and it's an expensive changeover."
Besides, cork taint just smells, he said. And more often than not, he said, the taint is so minimal that drinkers won't even notice.
Gary Madden, general manager of Lieb Cellars in Mattituck, plans to switch next year but winces at the cost. "It's just another piece of expensive winery equipment. You have to have enough volume to justify it."
bdegnan@timesreview.com