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Can screwcapped wines support medium or long term storage on their sides rather than upright? it seems counterintuitive.
Yep. For screwcap seals the storage position (vertical or horizontal) doesn't matter (i.e., no need to keep a cork moist to ensure limited oxygen ingress - the oxygen ingress will be the same no matter the bottle position for a screwcap seal).Can screwcapped wines support medium or long term storage on their sides rather than upright? it seems counterintuitive.
And the wine won't corrode the seal in any way with long-term contact?Yep. For screwcap seals the storage position (vertical or horizontal) doesn't matter (i.e., no need to keep a cork moist to ensure limited oxygen ingress - the oxygen ingress will be the same no matter the bottle position for a screwcap seal).
I have a collection of well aged screw capped Glaetzer wines here stored horizontally and have never had an issue with any of the bottles.Can screwcapped wines support medium or long term storage on their sides rather than upright? it seems counterintuitive.
2007 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere - New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere
Blind. Clean and crisp. A touch of fennel. Rich but perfectly balanced. Lovely harmonious mouthful; perfectly proportioned and jewelly. A steady and assured performance, just dwindled slowly after 2 hours. ****1/2
Only one ever out of thousands. A bottle of 2008 Voyager Estate chardonnay. The wine had somehow managed to seep through the seal and dry/crust. Wine was fairly heavily oxidised. No apparent ullageWhat are people's experiences with failed screw caps (excluding damage)?
I have never seen a screwcap that has failed. I can recall one with obvious damage through being bashed and cracked, but that was a brand-new wine. The advantage of a damaged screwcap is that it is generally instantly noticeable, unlike a corked wine.What are people's experiences with failed screw caps (excluding damage)?
I have had screwcap wines lying on their side for at least 20 years, again mostly Aussie Riesling. My Mesh from the early 2000s might be almost drinkable.My experience here is the same... have tried screwcapped wines with age stored horizontal / vertical with no apparent difference (not a contemporaneous like for like tasting but broadly similar age for similar wines at different times).... to be fair though they were largely Australian Rieslings so pretty indestructable in any case
Why do you keep them on their sides, Kevin?I have had screwcap wines lying on their side for at least 20 years, again mostly Aussie Riesling. My Mesh from the early 2000s might be almost drinkable.
So they don’t fall over when the earth shakes.Why do you keep them on their sides, Kevin?
Hello ThomWhy do you keep them on their sides, Kevin?
Interesting you say that. I was standing in front of my racks, deciding what to pull out for dinner drinks, when we had quite a big earthquake and everything started to shake. I braced myself to catch everything as they fell. There were only a couple that came loose and I managed to catch them. I call them racks but they are actually bins with up to 18 bottles in each, all resting on top of each other. Once one bottle goes, many others tend to follow.So they don’t fall over when the earth shakes.
I have a zero failure rate with screwcaps, and I store almost all of them laying down (purely as this is more convenient).What are people's experiences with failed screw caps (excluding damage)?
It is different - it's consistentFor a long time the reputation was that ageing was different than under cork. When did they solve that?
I think it was the cork people that needed to "solve that" rather than the screwcap producers.For a long time the reputation was that ageing was different than under cork. When did they solve that?
Do screwcapped wines age at the same pace with the same outcome as cork?I think it was the cork people that needed to "solve that" rather than the screwcap producers.