At a conference in Wellington for New Zealand wineries seeking to export their wines — that goes for pretty much every winery in New Zealand, which exports a cool 43% of the country’s entire wine production — an American gave the Kiwis an interesting tidbit of valuable data.

The American was John Blazon, 47, of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Mr. Blazon, who has a master sommelier credential and a matter-of-fact modesty, noted in his polished Power-Point presentation that Walt Disney World has 244 quick-service locations, 55 full table-service restaurants, 20 lounges, 8 nightclubs, and 20 pool bars, all of which serve alcohol. Mr. Blazon, as the world manager of Walt Disney’s wine sales and standards, stands astride all of these establishments. That, of course, explains why the Kiwi winegrowers were delighted to have him there.

Mr. Blazon offered his hosts a piece of insider information that they probably could not have secured for themselves. In his presentation Mr. Blazon explained that he sent a questionnaire, which included a question about screw cap wines, to a group of his fellow master sommeliers, nearly all of whom work in America’s most accomplished restaurants, as well as to a number of restaurant owners. It was an impressive group who responded, 31 in all.

Because New Zealand is in the forefront of using screw caps for its wines — the great majority of New Zealand wines at all price points use screw caps rather than corks — Mr. Blazon asked his questionnaire group if New Zealand’s “screw cap initiative enhanced or detracted from your ability to list and serve wines successfully?”

Mr. Blazon is a member of a rarefied restaurant-world fraternity: With just 124 master sommeliers in the world — 78 are Americans — they’re a tight, elite group of men and women who know their wine-service stuff.

The screw cap question caught my attention because consumer surveys tell us that most wine buyers prefer corks to screw caps. But Mr. Blazon’s group, which included respondents from restaurants such as the Breakers in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, as well as Chanterelle in TriBeCa, reported that screw caps posed no problem.

According to Mr. Blazon’s survey, only 4% of his respondents said that it “detracted.” The majority (64%) said that screw caps had “no impact” on their ability to sell wine in their high-end restaurants.

More interesting yet, 32% of the respondents reported that screw caps actually “enhanced” their ability to sell wine in their restaurants. “It makes for good conversation,” replied one respondent. “Creates discussion, but rarely negative,” said another.

My favorite survey remark was this: “All positive. Freaks out baby boomers, but who cares? They’re stuck on what was good 20 years ago.”

HERE’S THE (SEALED) DEAL

WillaKenzie Estate “Willamette Valley” Pinot Blanc 2006 — Certain American wines are particularly deserving of your attention and this stunning pinot blanc from Oregon is one of them. It is, at minimum, a contender as one of America’s best pinot blancs.

That may seem like faint praise, as pinot blanc is nowhere near as widely planted as chardonnay, a variety that pinot blanc vaguely resembles in taste. California has just 365 bearing acres of pinot blanc; Oregon has 190 bearing acres. Clearly, pinot blanc is barely heard of through the grapevine — the winemakers’ grapevine, that is.

But when you taste this wine, you’ll wonder why. WillaKenzie Estate’s 2006 pinot blanc is not only far better than the vast majority of chardonnays issued just about everywhere, but it’s singularly flavorful and distinctive in its own (pinot blanc) right.

Mercifully free of oak, this wine delivers a luscious, dense texture with a compelling flavor of intense, beautifully delineated notes of lemon zest, orange blossom, and a definite whiff of wet stones.

Oh, and not least — it’s sealed with a screw cap. The owner of WillaKenzie Estate, Bernard LaCroute, is a Burgundian, a group that is conventionally seen as hidebound traditionalists. But Mr. LaCroute is techno-savvy: He got his doctorate in plasma physics and made his bundle at Sun Microsystems, where he rose to the no. 2 position in the company before departing in 1989.

This is a dry white wine very much worth searching out. You’re not going to find it stack-cased at every little liquor store because just 1,051 cases were produced. But New York has a “sizable share” of this wine, according to the estate, and any retailer in the city can obtain it (the distributor is Martin Scott Wines) at a price of $19.95.