Netscape Forum Poll: Preferred closure

[James Roscoe]

Paulo?

You might try re-reading Otto's post, thinking of possible sub-text and nuances...

There's a possiblity he might not have been saying what you think he's saying.

(Remember, he's young, sometimes puckish, a student, and a linguist; you have to read what he writes very carefully. )

Otto, puckish? Say it isn't so?!

I voted screw-caps.

But — BUT! — if the lonely island situation would include sparklers (and in my case they are included!), then of course there's the closure to end all discussion (funny that nobody stated it): stainless steel crown caps for all of my bottles.

I voted for natural cork. Until credible long term ageing trials have been carried out involving some of the world's acknowledged great wines (e.g. Château Lafite, Romanée-Conti, Wehlener Sonnenuhr from JJP, etc.) under various closures, we will not know whether there is an ultimate quality loss under the alternatives to natural cork (i.e. compared to the best bottes not affected by TCA, ullage and other cork related accidents).

I am very happy with screwcaps for wines for consumption up to 7-8 years from vintage and would be delighted if long term trials were to show that great wine under, say, screwcap is capable of combining as graceful ageing with greater consistency than the under the natural corks.

I don't, however, expect that will be established during my lifetime.

[David M. Bueker]

I've heard the "I won't go to screwcap until the "best" wines have been through trials" so many times I think I am going to choke. That's not unlike saying "I won't take that medication until they try it on the President of the United States."

Why is it that the long-term trials in Australia are always considered invalid in these dscussions? Why does the proof have to be on a bottle of DRC RC? I have 15 or 20 wines under screwcap in my cellar. I am aging many of them to see what will happen. None of them are established "greats", but many of them are very good wines that are expected to improve substantially with age. If they do improve as they are expected to isn't that solid information? Does it have to be Lafite? If so, why? I find it interesting that mostof the people clamoring for long-term trials on wines like the Bordeaux 1st growths won't be around to see the results. Coincidence? I think not.

It is quite futile to carry out trials on wines without a track record for developing really outstanding qualities with ageing. That is why the Australian trials lack credibilty. That said, Château Palmer, say, and others in that league would do.