Do red wines really go with a screw-cap?

Most winemakers agree that, as the closure of choice for soon-to-be- opened white wines, screw- caps make good sense. Such good sense, in fact, that white wines from Australia and New Zealand are almost always sealed with screw-caps, which are turning up more frequently on American wines as well.

This is all fine and good. But what about red wines? Red wines are generally considered to be more cellar-worthy than white wines, and it is red wines, far more than white wines, that are collectible — that is to say, expensive. Putting a screw-cap on such a bottle has always seemed a bit déclassé. The cork is still king when it comes to cachet. Or is it? A few years back, Napa's PlumpJack winery decided to bottle half of its $125 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon under screw-cap. Being the first to offer such a prestige bottling, it got a windfall of publicity. To me, it seemed more like a publicity stunt than a serious attempt to spark an attitude adjustment, but now I'm not so certain.

These days it's not at all difficult to find higher quality — sometimes the highest quality — red wines from California, Oregon, Australia and New Zealand using screw-caps. Wolf Blass' best (Platinum Label) Barossa Shiraz sells for $88 and says it uses the cap "to preserve the style of the wine and to ensure quality is maintained."

Meaning that corks do not? D'Arenberg's "The Dead Arm" McLaren Vale Shiraz ($56) goes one further, remarking on the back label that the wine will benefit from further bottle age — no worries about the screw-cap, mate.

From California, Quixote Petite Syrah ($56) misspells the name of the wine — it's petite sirah, not syrah — but puts out a good bottle, albeit pricey for that particular grape, cork or no cork.

DeLoach Vineyards, part of the Jean-Claude Boisset portfolio, has put its most expensive wine, the 2005 Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir ($85), in Stelvin Lux+ screw-caps. This new and improved Lux+ cap, the winery explains, is engineered to allow a bit of oxygen to pass through the seal, mimicking the porosity of cork, and (one hopes) enhancing its age-ability.

It is pinot noirs such as this that have assumed the leadership role as far as screw-capped reds are concerned. New Zealand appears to make the lion's share, juicy, fruity wines offered in a range of prices.

In Oregon, both WillaKenzie and Argyle are backing the cap. WillaKenzie claims it was the first winery in the country to bottle pinot noir with a screw-cap.

"You can be confident that wine sealed by screw-caps is in top condition, tasting the way the winemaker intended, and that every bottle is of consistent quality whether you plan to drink it right away or cellar it for several years," the winery boasts. "Wine is expected to age at least as long and as well under a screw-cap as it will under natural cork."

Personally, I have no experience storing cork-free red wines over a period of years, but you can be sure that no winery is going to risk putting its $40 or $60 or $100 wines out into the market with a closure that has not passed rigorous testing.

In fact, a very prestigious Washington winery, hoping to go the screw-cap one better, is now experimenting with glass closures. Before committing to them, the winery is shipping sample bottles around the country and back home, to see if they survive the rigors of travel.

It seems to me that it's time to agree that screw-caps can do the job. Not everyone will like their look and feel (improving rapidly, by the way), but you must agree that these closures have a lot of advantages, the manufacturers are working hard to correct some of the early problems associated with them, and they have certainly shed their cheap-wine image.

Here are some good ones, in order of preference:

Cloudy Bay 2005 Marlborough Pinot Noir ($32) — What I love about this archetypal New Zealand wine is its elegance. The pinot fruit is quite ripe, pretty and full, but it's buttressed with a firm minerality, and it sails through a crisp, lingering finish.

Amisfield 2005 Central Otago Pinot Noir ($32) — Another gem from New Zealand, this is a soft, plummy, smoky wine with seductive power. The fruit is smooth and ripe, without being jammy or tutti-fruity, and the tannins are substantial enough to give it some authority.

Smidge Wines 2005 "Adamo" Barossa Valley Shiraz ($41) — Soft and warmly fruity, this broadly built Aussie wine is flush with ripe flavors of berry and cassis. Lots of snap and sizzle to the finish.

Two Hands 2006 "Angels Share" McLaren Vale Shiraz ($26) — An Aussie bomb, with plenty of fruit power and interesting streaks of tobacco and licorice.

Bald Hills 2005 Central Otago Pinot Noir ($42) — Delicious black cherry and currant fruit is enlivened with zippy acids, finishing chewy and minty.

WillaKenzie Estate 2005 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($22) — This is nicely balanced, tart and juicy with black-cherry fruit.

Vidal 2005 Marlborough Pinot Noir ($28) — Sappy and loaded with strawberry fruit, this is easy-drinking and accented with cola notes.

Vidal 2004 Hawke's Bay Syrah ($28) — A pleasantly tart, tangy style, not ashamed to show some leafy herb, with firm, almost stiff tannins wrapping up the finish.

Argyle 2005 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($23 ) — A lighter, elegant style, gently herbal and moderately tannic.

Finding the wines

Unless noted, all Wine Adviser recommendations are currently available, though vintages may sometimes differ. All wine shops and most groceries have a wine specialist on staff. If they do not have the wine in stock, they can order it for you from the local distributor.

Paul Gregutt's column appears weekly

in the Wine section. He can be reached

by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.