Do sulphites cause headaches? Are corked bottles superior to screw tops? Our expert Wine Merchant has the answers.

Learning how to enjoy wine can be quite daunting. The world of wine is highly mystified and the dos and don’ts seem to change depending on who you talk to. That means some old wive’s tales get passed around even though they might not be accurate. To get to the bottom of what’s true and what’s false, we reached out to Sean Menzes, a Dan Murphy’s Wine Merchant and one of the judges from this year’s Decoded Awards. So it’s safe to say Sean knows his stuff when it comes to wine. Here, he takes on some common wine myths and busts them once and for all.

Myth: Sulphites in wine causes headaches

Reality: Sulphites are naturally occurring in wine, along with lots of other foods. “If it were the sulfur in wine causing your headaches then you would also get a headache when you eat dried fruits, potatoes, or even packaged meats,” says Sean. So while it’s a common misconception that sulphites cause headaches, research has shown there’s no correlation between the two.

Myth: Wine gets better with age

Reality: “In general, all wines can age. But that doesn't mean that all wines should age,” explains Sean. That’s because consumer habits affect the way wine is made. Over 90% of wine is drunk within 24 hours of purchase. Wine companies know this and make wine that suits that quick turnaround. “When it comes to aging, you have to get the right wine and you have to age it in the right conditions. If you’re looking at making an investment by aging, then you should only do it with wine from a label that has a pedigree for wines that age well,” explains Sean.

Myth: Corked wines are higher quality than screw top wines

Reality: While cork remains common in Old World wine countries in Europe, screw tops are the go-to option here in Australia where we’ve pioneered their use. “I really don’t think [screw tops] are inferior. Maybe only aesthetically because people have an image in their minds of popping open a corked bottle at a party or occasion,” says Sean. The main benefit to using screw tops is that they don’t get cork taint, an infection that sometimes occurs in corked bottles and ruins the flavour of the wine.

Myth: Putting ice in your wine is taboo

Reality: Adding ice to your wine will affect the flavour because as the ice melts it dilutes the body of the wine. One solution is to freeze grapes and add these to your wine instead of ice cubes since they won’t melt. But Sean recommends focusing on chilling the wine while it’s still in the bottle instead, “Add a bunch of salt to the ice in your wine bucket. The salt will drastically bring down the temperature of the ice and help chill the wine much, much faster.”

Myth: ‘Legs’ mean a wine is high quality

Reality: Chances are you’ve seen someone swirl a glass of wine glass and comment that it “has great legs”. What they’re referring to are the small droplets that form on the inside of the glass and run down in streaks. For some reason the presence of legs has been mythologised to represent quality, but in reality they just indicate the presence of alcohol. “When you swirl wine you create a thin film of wine on the surface of the glass. As the alcohol in the wine evaporates into aromas, you have some residue left on the inside of the glass and that creates legs,” says Sean.