Evan, Re: your first sentence, it would be interesting to see where the statistics currently are for cork vs all other. Our friend Scott Olsen at Fox Run told me he would go to all Stelvin (twist-off) caps tomorrow if he could afford it. No other beverage industry would tolerate a 10% to 20% product loss experienced by its customers because of its closure. The oxygen transfer rates for cork are no more uniform than the transfer rates for synthetic. The difference is that you can engineer the synthetic closure for the transfer rates you want. Just because there is a cork in the bottle doesn't mean the O2 transfer has been low. For the winery there is the cost issue. We looked very hard at cork closures for our premium line, and it would add $1 or more to the price. We are in a recession. We can't really afford to absorb the cost, and we are pretty sure our customers won't like a price increase. Finally, 98% of the wine sold in America is purchased to be consumed within 8 hours. Is the risk and price of cork worth garnering favor from that 2% and the few critics who want to worry about the closure.

OK, we're holding our collective breath. Not that we would want to rush a decision, but ... Our winery is proud to have been included in your tasting, and we are proud to be among the very good wine makers in New York. As all of New York's wines get better, it's better for all of New York's wines. Thanks NYCR! (not intended to curry favor)