While over 70% of wine bottles use natural cork from cork trees, the debate over using screwtops vs. corks in wine bottles has been raging among wine lovers for years. Although screw caps are thought of as inferior, even dedicated wine drinkers have difficulty detecting a difference in taste or quality and are coming to appreciate the benefits of bottles with simple screw caps.

Using a screw cap or "twistie" has some benefits, including ease of opening and closing, an airtight seal, and affordability. On the other hand, corks do not create an airtight seal, which can be an advantage when you want a wine to be exposed to some oxygen to age properly.

Although aluminum screw caps are not as sustainable as cork, TCA, formally known as 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, is a pesky compound that can quickly ruin a good wine, and some natural corks can be contaminated with it. TCA creates lots of problems for vintners, so using a screw cap can prevent what is known as "cork taint" from wrecking an entire batch of wine.