According to a recent study in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, European consumers prefer aluminium screw caps to other wine closures.

The survey was commissioned by members of the EAFA Closures Group, part of the European Aluminum Foil Association, and it was carried out among 6,000 wine consumers by market research company IPSOS.

When consumers were asked about their preferences for reclosing a bottle of unfinished wine for later consumption, aluminum closures received the top scores. Four out of 10 surveyed confirmed they had poured away wine from a bottle closed with a cork that had been tainted or had gone bad.

When asked to compare their purchasing intentions of the same bottle of wine with different closures, more than one-third said they would prefer to buy wine with an aluminum closure, and a quarter said the type of closure would not influence their purchase.

The study also showed a strong preference for screw caps among younger consumers and females.