When it comes to wine, nothing is black or white. Often people base their opinions on their first impressions or a singular experience. There are a lot of misconceptions about wine – have you heard any of the following? 

1. MYTH: A screw cap is a sign of low quality wine. Overtime, screw caps have been associated with large, economy-sized wine production. Many consumers view large industry winemakers as lower-quality, thus creating the myth that all screw cap wines are lower in quality than wines with corks. 

Even though screw caps get a bad rap, they really aren’t a sign of poor quality wine. Screw caps are actually used for many reasons, all which essentially increase the quality of wine. One of the reasons winemakers use screw caps is to keep the bottle sealed and not allow oxygen to get into the wine. Producers also choose screw caps versus corks to reduce the risk of cork failure. 

2. MYTH: Since wines improve with age, they never go bad, even after opening. This is nottrue. Once a bottle of wine is opened, it has a shelf life. The type of wine determines the shelf life. 

To preserve the wine as long as possible, you should always seal and refrigerate wine after opening. 

Red wine typically lasts 5-7 days after being opened and white wine for 3-5 days. After this period, the wine is past its prime. 

3. MYTH: Expensive wine is better. Although expensive wine canbe high quality wine, that is not always the case. A price tag is not a true indication of a wine’s worth. Many factors play into the overall cost of a wine, including labor, barrels, bottles and grape production as well as label design and packaging. 

4. MYTH: Old wines are better. Did you know wine is actually perishable? Most wines are meant to be enjoyed within the first one to fiveyears of their life – their life outside of the barrel!  

The most age-worthy wines are those with solid acidity and structured tannins – like Norton. 

5. MYTH: Red wine is better for you than white. A lot of people claim that red wine is healthier than white. Without getting into the heart health debate, if we are just looking at calories, white wine actually tends to have less calories. Check out our Missouri wine calorie chart for more information: 

References: 
Grapecollective.com 
Missouriwine.org