|  In his latest columns Stewart warns that the Poly VinyliDene Chloride (PVDC) seal used in screwcaps is one of the endocrine disrupters identified by cancer researchers. He says that breast cancer is one of the ultimate endocrine disruption consequences. Breast cancer rates in New Zealand had shot up 98 percent in the last 50 years. The issue of screwcap had more significance and "More so as women are now the principal buyers of wine, and key targets of the screwcap campaign," he reflected.
He said that as the scientific evidence mounted against PVDC, a health campaign to stop drinking wine from screwcapped bottles would mount too.
Currently screwcaps account for 80 percent of New Zealand wine and for nearly 100 percent of its sauvignon blanc.
But the claim has been hotly disputed by the wine industry people who feel he is making mischief.
New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said PVDC was a food grade material that was approved for contact with food by all major world food authorities.
He also added that the PVDC seal was being used in the soft drink industry, with other foods and on some medicine containers too.
Winegrowers had been unable to find studies indicating any contamination of wine of the type implied by Mr Stewart from contact with screwcap closures. Unless new information became available, there was no reason for the wine industry to be alarmed by Stewart's claims, he said.
The owner of Otago winery, Felton Road , Nigel Greening said he had repeatedly asked Mr Stewart for "any form evidence" on his "bizarre claims" but he had failed to produce any.
He said he had also looked for any evidence of endocrine disrupters in screwcaps and "couldn't find a thing anywhere".
A long time critic of screwcaps, Mr Stewart said on Tuesday that he was not an evangelist for the conventional cork, but was only critical of the wine industry allowing this technology to gain such a hold in New Zealand , without researching the potential health risks of the seal.
He admitted he had been aware of the risks of the PVDC seal since 2003 and could be accused of being too kind to the wine industry, by holding his story until now.
Forrest Estate owner John Forrest said it was a bit of "mischief making" from Mr Stewart.
"Where's any credible medical evidence that the plastic membrane used to seal lots of products for many years has been linked to any cancer whatsoever?
"As far as I understand there is no evidence," he added.
The story could be a blow to those using screwcap. Johanneshof Cellar co-winemaker Warwick Foley said, "it's nice to see the shoe is on the other foot and they can do some answering".
The cork was a safe and environmentally friendly option, he said.
New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith said he was not aware of the issue, but that PVDC had been used for years in other closures "and had not been implicated in anything".
"Any gin or whiskey bottle in the liquor cabinet could have the same seal. Screwcaps are not new to wine. They have been used in the spirit industry for years", he added.
Screwcap manufacturer Global Cap New Zealand declined to comment at this stage.
They have referred the issue on to its technical team in Italy and to the liner companies for response.
We had great technical difficulty in extracting the info from the resource site: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/4045744a6522.html
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