I am about to (deliberately) set off a robust debate - I hope!
We simply love screwcaps! Some of the best wine made here in New Zealand is now bottled with screwcaps. And not just Sauv.Blanc. - possibly our "showcase" wine which is not regarded as a cellar prospect, but good pinot noir and even top Australian shiraz wines.
About a year ago we took a wine-tasting journey through South Australia - visiting the Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Barossa and Clare Valleys. All were lovely, and all had their own specialties. I was particularly impressed with a relatively small winery in the McLaren that had produced award winning shiraz for many years. The shiraz was bottled with screwcap. The proprietor said he would never ever go back to corks and produced - from under the counter in his cellar tasting room - two bottles of corked wine, both spectacular reserve wines that would sell for over $100/bottle.
We purchased a bottle of his premium (screwcap) shiraz and brought it home where it rests in our cellar until an appropriate occasion. (As we tend to consume our inventory, discipline is required!)
One of the best winemakers here in New Zealand blazed the trail for screwcaps, and many many other wine producers have followed.
Who will predict that a good wine, recommended for cellaring, bottled with a screwcap will be at its peak in 10 or 20 years time? I won't be around then I don't suppose, but think about it .....
Screwcaps are unfortunately associated with cheap wine in the USA and I can only imagine the French being the last to adopt this technique.
Ok - comments anyone?
Daisy
Carthage demands an explanation for this insolence!