Efficiency of Different Types of Caps and Corks

The chances of you getting an answer versus an opinion are pretty slim... :) There is a lot of info out there on one closure versus another and the actual intent of the closure has a lot to do with it. Most wines are made to be consumed within less than a year of bottling and for that purpose almost any closure that excludes oxygen is fine.

If you are looking for a closure that will keep a wine for over 5 years only the higher quality natural corks have proven that capability but even that is not without risk. Even the finest cork will fail over time and typically those corks are replaced every 20 years. (These are premium corks.)

The risk of cork taint is real but methods exist to minimize that risk. A need for a closure of that quality applies to truly fine wines which most people don't have access to anyways.

I don't make fine wines, I make good wines. That gives me a lot of options. I have wines that are close to 10 years old under natural corks and they are very good. I have also tasted wines that tasted closer to wet cardboard under corks for less than 2 years that looked and felt similar to the 10 year old wines. Nothing is more infuriating that a corked bottle you worked hard on. I use mostly synthetic now and don't have any that are older than 4 years at this point.

Plastic screw caps are not considered a true oxygen barrier to my knowledge, the machine applied aluminum caps are considered superior. Most synthetic 'corks' are not expected to protect a wine past 3 years to my understanding.

And all of this is not an answer, just my opinion...

Joe

Similar consideration as to why people wear different types of clothes instead of a standard uniform. Preferences and functional needs vary.

Gene

W> I made some basic observations of the bottles and caps/corks used for

A lot is governed by economics, purpose, and tradition.

You can argue for or against natural vs. synthetic corks but that was not your question as I understood it.

Screw caps are being used more in the industry but that goes against tradition and some do not like it. There are studies that indicate screw caps are better and cheaper than natural corks and may protect the wine better. But don't get excited. They are not talking about simple screw on caps that can be re used or bought. They are talking about screw caps that are molded onto the bottle. They require a machine that costs 10's of thousands of dollars so they are not an option for home winemaking.

You mentioned the corks with the plastic caps. They are good for about 6 to

9 months. Some people call them tasting caps as they are used in tasting rooms to reseal opened bottles. They are easy to take out by hand but do not protect the wine very well. I also use them occasionally for sample bottles that I will be drinking a few months after bottling.

There is not a standard as the purpose for the different caps may be different.

Ray

I love this part of the question. Other people have asked why there isn't a standard design bottle? My response is twofold...

1) Marketing - they want to stand out, be better, whatever 2) Country/region of origin - maybe it is standard there

Steve