In article >, aruzinsky > wrote:
>On Mar 29, 11:50=A0am, RichD > wrote:
>> Is the chemistry of wine aging completely understood?
>> Is it possible to engineer an enzyme, which would
>> speed the process? =A0There is obviously a tremendous
>> potential demand for such a thing.
>>
>> Considering the size and age of the business, it seems
>> unlikely I'm the first to ever ask this question -
>
>I am no expert, but I am under the impression that the main purpose or
>"aging" any liquor in oak barrels is to impart an oak flavor which is
>sort of like that of vanilla. In my experience, aging wine in glass
>bottles does nothing good and, if the bottle is corked, it will impart
>a cork flavor or, worse, the wine will spoil. It makes me wonder how
>stupid the tradition of corking wine bottles really is.

Many winemakers in New Zealand and other places have moved to screw caps for
pretty much all wine varieties. The theory is that they bottle it when they
like it, not a bit before. That way, the wine the like is the wine you get.

Probably helps them keep for as long or longer than they would have under
cork. You never break a cork, or have to push a cork into the bottle too.

IME (as a consunmer only ), they are great.
I have never had an "off" wine from a screw top bottle.