This just in....Most people don't know jack

Not that this comes as a huge surprise. I'm not sure if I would include the author, but I have my suspicions:

Study: Wine drinkers can't tell cork difference

From the article:

"Winemakers argue about the advantages of natural corks versus synthetic corks or metal screwtops, but the average wine drinker can't tell any difference in product quality, according to Oregon State University researchers."

Really?!? I guess I didn't realized there was some raging debate among winemakers as to which stopper to use. In fact, I would think that if there is any argument, it is precisely that, which one to use, not the comparative advantages of each one. And as far as the average wine drinker or any consumer is concerned, recognizing the difference in product quality would be the last ability I would afford them. Remember the 'taste-test' commercials that Coke and Pepsi ran ad-naseum? Of course, I used to be an addict so I may not have room to speak, but they never offered a 'Choice C: It all sucks and you shouldn't drink any of it'.

"A companion study found that many consumers associate metal screwtops with inferior wine, and some people have reservations about synthetic corks. Consumers in the OSU study were willing to pay a higher price for wine topped with a natural cork."

Thank God for the 'companion study'. It must be a slow news day up in Salem, Oregon. And how much do you think the people who administered this 'study' got paid to do so? Maybe I'm in the wrong business. So here's the breakdown:

Average Consumer : Screwcap = Screw-crap

Average Consumer : Idiot

"Metal tops and synthetic corks have caught on in the wine industry because wines packaged with natural corks are vulnerable to "cork taint"--the term used in wine circles to describe when a bottle goes bad. Wineries can't prevent corked wine entirely unless they switch to one of the alternatives."

Here goes, one by one: These 'alternatives' have caught on for many reasons, TCA being 'relatively' low on the list. Topping that list - cost. Second, thanks for the 'wine circles' bit. It's good to see the (non-wine related) press doing their part to further the notion that you have to be 'in' to get anything. And lastly, switching closures in no way ensures a 100% 'corked free' winery. The simple reality is that yes, the most commonly blamed source (and often mis-directed) of cork taint is the cork. The compound 2,4,6 TCA is able to thrive in barrels as well as any wood surface throughout the winery. Of course, no winery would likely admit that they have fungus and the like running amuck throughout their billion dollar facility, so blame it on the cork.

I understand that the author probably wasn't afforded a great deal of column space for this article, bit it strikes me as yet another example of the 'mis-information' that goes on daily in the world of wine.