Can wines age and develop under screw caps – doesn the wine need air to age?
A. Wine scientists long ago proved that the ageing and development of wine after bottling is an anaerobic process – that is, no air is required. It was demonstrated that when wine was hermetically sealed in glass ampoules, it still aged and developed perfectly. Screw caps do what every wine closure is supposed to do. They seal the wine in and keep the air out. Ralph Kyte-Powell (wine reviewer in the Age Newspaper Epicure section) told Amietta co-winemaker Nicholas Clark that between 2001 and 2003 he tasted dozens of wines that had been bottled by various Australian producers in 2 batches – half with cork and half with screw caps. He said that in these tastings he considered that none of the wines under cork were as good as the wines under screw caps. Big call Ralph.
