Corks don't breathe per se, the seal improves with time after initial
insertion. That's why you stand bottles up initially, to let the air
you pumped into the wine when the cork was inserted leak out as it
equalizes the pressure. Once the cork re-expands it's sealed. That
only applies to real corks.

Capsules were originally made of lead and were used to keep the mold
down when wine was stored in damp cold areas. Now it's mostly
esthetics's, the bottle just looks better with a capsule.

Joe


> Does the shrink wrap slow down the aging of the wine since the cork can't
> breathe?
>