"If the screw cap is better, I don't see why we shouldn't switch." So says Paul Pontallier, managing director and oenologist at Château Margaux since 1983. The top wine estate in the Médoc has been experimenting with different bottle closures for years and now not only wants to switch to organic production, but is also seriously considering a move away from natural corks.
In 2002, Pontallier had bottles of his second wine Pavillon Rouge sealed with screw caps for the first time for test purposes. At that time, he was still cautious: first, the alternatives to natural cork would have to be carefully researched. After ten years of experimenting, he now declared in February 2012 on the occasion of a wine presentation in London: "With Pavillon Rouge, the screw cap gave excellent results - in contrast to the natural cork." The Margaux boss had not even packed test bottles with plastic corks: "A disaster!"