I just happend to pop in here. I work as the Associate Winemaker at Fenn Valley Vineyards, near Fennville, MI. We have made quite a few wines in the past year taking Gold and Double Gold at International competition, so I speak about wine, as in Cabernet Franc, Pinto Grigio, Gewurztraminer, which we make and would not be confused with other Hybrid-French wines like Seyval. We have devoted a lot of study into this matter and are currently seeking bids on ROPP machinery. St. Julian, a nearby winery has made the move and is a Michigan winery of some 1.3 million cases / year. Hogue Cellars in Washington HAS done some "longer" term studies on screw cap closures as compared to cork, and they are favorable to screw cap. TCA, or cork taint, can come from wines within the winery during processing especially is there is considerable useage of chlorine for disinfecting; such as floors, drains, and particularly any "wood" that may be present. No, they don't use it on barrels. There are of course other areas of introduction. The main thing is getting away from chlorine bleaches, better sanitation, and buying corks from reliable sources. They all seem like reliable sources, and for the most part, they are, but it's still an issue with the wine industry. There are screw caps that are designed to allow breating, or exchange of oxygen, to the same degree as corks available for the industry as well. Wines made for fruit forward freshness, and to be drunk young, probably would't want the closure to "breathe". Most of the closures are the tighter air design and work perfectly for those "young" wines. Anyway, just wanted to add a 2-cents worth. :) btw.... The avitar settings are not working now?
