jsmahoney,
I found this article and thought you might enjoy it. The end part is especially noteworthy.If a Plumpjack isn't afraid to put it's $145 bottle of Cab Sav in ascrew top bottle, then there must be something good about the screwcap. Just not very classy!
<TABLE id=Autonumber12 style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" borderColor=#111111 height=465 cellPadding=0 width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TH style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #808000 2px solid" width="100%" height=11>
<H1 align=center><A name="Corks vs. Screw Caps">Corks vs. Screw Caps</A></H1></TH></TR>
<TR>
<TD align=middle width="100%" height=418>
Did you know that 3%-5% of all bottles with natural corks show some degree of spoilage. This is due to trichloroanisole (TCA). TCA is a complex chemical developed from reactions within corks, which involve natural molds and the chlorine bleach used in cork manufacture. So, what's the answer? Plastic?
For the last decade or so, there have been plenty of cork substitutes on the market. Some wineries have converted their entire production to synthetic corks. New technologies have greatly improved synthetic corks. But, there are still problems with synthetic corks, especially the plastic ones. Even good corkscrews have problems punching through the denser plastics. If you consider it, the only reason to use a substitute cork is to preserve the ritual of pulling a stopper out of the wine bottle.
The very best closure for wine has been around for years. It's easy to use, requires no tools, is airtight and easily re-sealable. What is this magical device? The screw cap, of course. "But wait!" you're saying. "Doesn't the slow passage of oxygen through a porous stopper help wines age and develop bottle bouquet?" That myth has been debunked. In fact, the screw cap makes the perfect wine closure : no taint, no oxidation, no problem.
The New Zealand wine industry was the first to adopt screw caps en masse. Market-conscious American wineries are still testing the treacherous waters of public opinion on the subject, bottling part of their lineup in screw cap, just to see. The high-end PlumpJack Winery put half its $145 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 in screw cap and found that the newfangled version sold out first. Its just released Reserve Chardonnay 2003 ($44) is also available in screw cap. A few major American producers, including Pepi, Bonny Doon, and Hogue have taken the plunge. Europeans are proving less receptive, but Gunderloch, in Germany, and Fortant, in France, are game. </TD></TR></T></TABLE>