What Did Taylor Swift Mean by ‘Cheap-Ass Screw-Top Rosé,’ Anyway?
Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated “Midnights” album dropped last week, and we have a few questions. At the top of the list: What did she even mean by that lyric in “Maroon” about screw-cap wine?
In the first verse of the song, she blames an inexpensive bottle of wine for a seemingly eventful night:
“How’d we end up on the floor, anyway?” you say
“Your roommate’s cheap-ass screw-top rosé, that’s how”
Of course, that line generated quite the buzz on social media, sparking a conversation over whether “screw-top rosé” can be both inexpensive and high-quality.
EXCLUSIVE: screw top rosé breaks her silence: “i’m not cheap ass. i’m affordable. budget-friendly, even. dare i say class-conscious?”
— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) October 21, 2022
Whether trying to stay relatable with listeners or simply describing a real-life bottle of rosé (debatable), the lyric plays off a common myth that screw caps equal cheap wine. In reality, that assertion isn’t supported by facts. Some 30 percent of all wines feature screw closures. Producers across the world — even notable regions such as Burgundy and Chianti — bottle their wines with easy-to-close caps.
Sometimes, screw closures can make wine even better. It ensures that the wine arrives in the same way that the vintner intended, eliminates the possibility of cork taint, and slows oxygenation. Screw-top vino can even be cellar-aged, in some cases. (It’s typically not preferred, though).
We’ve come to associate non-cork closures in the United States with cheap booze, which often features this type of top, but it doesn’t necessarily stand as an indicator of quality or price.
While there’s no guessing exactly what type of rosé Swift was referring to in the lyric — or why someone with a $400 million net worth would choose to snatch “cheap ass” wine from a roommate — rest assured there are still lots of high-quality screw-top options to sip while enjoying the new music.
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