Corked white wine

I don't think so. It can be harder to tell when reds are corked. But it sounds like really bad luck. Are you sure they're all corked; did your local merchant take them back?

That is an absurdly high ratio. Due respect, but if you've just recently gotten into wine, do you know what it's like? If yes, then change suppliers. Regards, Huntsman

OK. If the wine is from same producer/shipper/vintage/firm, switch. Otherwise, change suppliers. Because that's just not right...way too many bottles. Regards, Huntsman

Not to be rude, but do you know how to open it? Use a screwpull, it can be much easier.

I never had to return white wine due to it being corked. A couple of times the wine was a bit musty but drinkable. It is possible I am not very sensitive to TCA. I usually drink inexpensive (under$20) white wine so maybe some particular types or producers you favor have a higher rate of the mold infection. Some wineries, especially in Australia now use synthetic corks wich eliminate the contamination problem. Some use screw-top bottles but I am not a fan of those.

I taste about 25 wines a day from various distributors/importers as part of the buying process for my wine bar. Without a doubt, at least 1 bottle is off. That's about 5% rate for me,

Cork doesn't discriminate bewteen red or white. Probably you notice it more because you drink more whites. My taint rate is 8-10% and open over 200 bottles a year. That is not without even considering cork failure, random oxidation (industry figures that include this put the cork failure at close to 30% after 10 years). In past week I have had TCA-tainted 90 Krug (ouch!), 85 Canon, 86 Mount Mary, 72 Grange (not mine thankfully!) - none of them cheap! The quicker screwcaps are accepted by the french and Americans the better - Ausralia and NZ are years ahead (80-90% of all whites now under screwcap and premium reds increasing to around 50% on last figures).

I guess I've been lucky, but I'm at way less than 1% being corked, and I drink a lot of wine. I've always thought the move to screw-tops was bull, more based in greed than reality

Screw caps will probably be the next big in North America. Hopefully the wine drinking public will accept them.
I know that many wineries in the Niagara region are planning to change to screw tops, once their contracts with the synthetic cork manufacturers are up.

Similarly, Tetra-packs store wine very well, but the thought of having wine from a carton turns many people off.

There is still debate amongst winemakers whether red wines will mature properly with Stelvin (screw-top) caps. At best it seems that maturation is delayed. This is obviously not so much of a problem for Australian & NZ wines, which generally consumed young. Riesling producers in Europe have embraced the Stelvin technology reasonably well, but I don't think the premier cru maker will be using it any time soon.



Aus

Not really. Aus. Wineries such as Leo Buring, Lindemans, and Yalumba have all publicly stated that their reds in (inferior) screwcaps from 50-70s are still in superb shape (never released commercially like the whites but they often come up at Langtons and Oddbins auctions). Secondly, Penfolds has now been trialling screwcaps since 1996 on reds and Grange winemaker Peter Gago has stated they are devloping beautifully, albeit slowly (Bin 389).

The first growths are now trialling screwcaps (Haut Brion and Latour). The fact that Penfolds are releasing their two superb reds - the 2004 Bin 60A and Block 42 - in screwcap at $500 per bottle shows their confidence in the technology. Germany's Gunderloch has just released his 2004 (white) TBA's in half bottles in screwcap only (cost $495 per bottle) making it most expensive screwcap wine in world. There is talk at Foster's/Penfolds that Grange will be 10% screwcap next year. There may be debate among winemakers, but oenoligical studies show that wine does NOT only need oxygen to develop. It develops ina reductive enviornment as well, just much slower.