What most synthetic corks and screw caps do not (or simply can't) do is show tracks, which can be helpful if opening a sample bottle before purchasing a lot that will be going into a cellar. It's less handy in a restaurant as a taste will indicate if there's some heat damage but it does provide some insight as to how the bottle was stored.

AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute) did a study on wine closures and aging of Semillon that was performed over a 10 year period (sampling bottles annually). In my opinion, further research needs to be done for closures with red wine.