When you get a chance to taste a vertical of wine, normally images of something very fancy-pants, precious, and expensive come to mind. But at Hogue's presentation/tasting detailing the results of a new study about alternate closures (and switch to 100% screwcaps starting with the 2009 vintage), their humble Riesling shined. We sampled a vertical from 2004-2009, all sealed under screwcap. The 2004 was still lively-tasting, showing some secondary characteristics and a little bit of a funky, earthy finish; one to guzzle-up in the near future. (Maybe I'm splitting hairs a bit about the finish; keep in mind this is a sub-$10 Riesling. The 05 is still going strong; I don't think it's even plateaued yet.) All the Rieslings had good balance between sweetness and acidity; much more refreshing than cloying. This is the second time I've taken part in this tasting and I've walked away with the same thought: "Why am I not stashing away a case (or more) for a few years?" Director of Winemaking Co Dinn gave us an interesting background in all the trials and tests to determine how wine ages when sealed under screwcap. This was especially daunting as, he explained, "People who make screwcaps are capmakers, not winemakers." Co's team at Hogue had to do a lot of research into how the wine in the bottle was affected by oxygen transfer. It was also great to have Gary Hogue in attendance. He spoke of his farming background, and how when his family went into the wine business he "couldn't even pronounce Gewurztraminer." Gary also talked about the reason the company started experimenting with alternate closures: "When you have your name on a product and there is a problem, you're embarrassed." After the round of Rieslings we got into the reds. Five glasses of 2003 Genesis Merlot--each from a bottle sealed with a different closure--were set in front of us. We would find out after trying the lot which was which. Now this was really interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I think it deserves a separate post. (Stay tuned.) So what's your take on wines sealed with a screwcap?