Originally Posted by
number_6
The real future is in screwcaps. These are slowly shedding their low-cost image and some quite good (and expensive) wines have been bottled in screwcaps.
The most interesting is 1997 Plumpjack Cab (bottled in 2002 if I recall correctly. $135 per bottle in a screwcap and $125 per bottle with cork. Yes, they charged a $10 premium for a screwcap!!!!! And the bottling sold out (half was in screwcaps and half in cork). So there is potential for screwcap sales even at the very high end, if it is done right.
UC Davis has a 20 year closure study underway now. They are comparing wine at 10, 15 and 20 year aging using different types of closures (natural cork, various synthetics and screwcap). No results yet from that study. In Australia some wine has been bottled with non-cork closure for 30 years but no real studies were done. Stories are that some of the wine aged well and some did not (maybe due more to storage conditions and initial wine; the best wine wasn't bottled this way 30 years ago!).
Some markets have really accepted the screwcap, even in Europe. For example almost 100% of Swiss white wine is bottled in screwcap now (but it is all drunk within a month of bottling, or so it seems when I visit my Swiss friends).
Number 6 alot of what you say is true. AWRI examined all the wines in the closure study every 6 months since inceptin both chemically and sensory. What they found is the level of SO2 in bottle under synthetics was consideralbly less than these under screwcap and natural bark (good corks +/- 47mm length and 52mm).
The issue, which is not cleary understood, is how does no O2 penetration through the closure affect the wines ability to develop tertiary flavors over time. What they have found is that under screwcap some of the wines deveolped reduced aromas ( think H2S categories of smells). The ongoing R & D with screwcaps is to allow the winemaker to dial in the aount O2 the winemaker feels he needs for the wine to develop. The other issue is winem,kers need to adust the level of SO2 the add at bottling.