Say What???

I always thought that this was a screw cap, but last night I was told I had it all wrong.  The conversation went like this:

Setting:  A restaurant

Characters: A couple of friends, my husband and I

Action:  The server approaches the table while we are chatting and starts opening our wine

Me:  “Ah, I hear the romantic sound of a screw cap.”

Server:  “No, it’s a Stelzner Enclosure.”

Me:  “Huh?” (or something equally elegant – it’s a paraphrase)

Server:  “Yes, that’s its professional name.”

Action: My friends and I try to use the name “Stelzner Enclosure” as many times as we can during the evening so that we can imprint the term in our brains and never be caught saying ‘screw cap’ again.

Reaction:  I don’t know much about Stelzner, but the word ‘enclosure’ to describe a bottle cap just seemed weird to me, so I noodled around on Google when I got home and discovered that the perky server had it only almost right.

Climax:  What you’re looking at is a STELVIN CLOSURE.  And, if the fact that the last four bottles of wine that I ordered in restaurants came with Stelvin Closures not corks is any guide, my guess is you’ll be looking at them a lot more.

Stelvin Closure?  Who knew?  Did you?

Comments

[Pat Churchill]

Well - at least the wines won't be corked. They'll be "screwed"??

[Kristen]

Fancy name, same difference. I prefer the corks, but I guess if this is the trend I can adapt :) Now, I'll sound all important the next time we get a bottle cap instead of a cork... I'll make sure to use this fancy term :)

[barbara]

When I worked in the wine industry we always used the term "Stelvin Closure" as it sounded so much nicer than screw cap.

[Michael Stelzner]

Dorie - Sorry, no connection between me and the winery. - Mike

[Lisa]

I had no idea.. I've been calling it the screw cap for the past 30 some years. Go figure. =)

[Dorie]

Mike, you were the first person to come up in my Google search for Stelzner, then I found Stelzner Winery. Any connection?

[Michael Stelzner]

I like the Stelzner, but I am biased.

Mike