Cork vs. Screwcap

[Thomas]

I am afraid the cork/screwcap debate is just another example of inertia and/or the human resistance to change. There really isn't a technical argument against it.

Pharmaceuticals used cork stoppers decades before the wine industry in Europe was willing to make the switch from wax, olive oil and whatever, claiming the cork was no better a solution, and of course, not traditional.

Synthetic stoppers do not look like cork, unless you think cork comes in purple, blue, green and pink, and they aren't as flexible as cork, and no one I know sniffs them after opening a bottle, so what purpose do they really serve?

When you look at the matter objectively, the screwcap is every bit as good as the "natural" cork in preventing oxygen from entering the bottle, probably even better than cork, which does allow some exhange of air.

I vote for the switch to screw caps. The switch would have the added attraction of wooing those who still see wine drinking as an elite endeavor. Perhaps the ease of opening a bottle would be cause for opening more of them.