What top preserves wine best (real cork, mixed wood, artificial, glass, or screw top)?

Screw caps and other synthetic closures are absolutely fine for preserving wine that is meant to be drunk young (a year or two after bottling) and that does not require aging or long-term cellaring. The point of natural cork is to allow oxygen to pass through its pores and thus slowly oxygenate the wine over time which helps the wine evolve and allows the tannins to mellow. If you are drinking fresh wine meant for everyday consumption, there is no problem at all with wines that have screw caps, and they should not be perceived as cheaper, or of a lesser quality than wines bottled under natural cork.

The screw top vs. cork is a hot topic in the wine industry.

The screw top is less expensive, but is much more dependable for preserving the wine and reducing infection. You are now seeing more of them being used by the higher end wineries.

As wineries have to occasionally update their bottling machines, you will see more replacing the cork.

It is still unknown about the reliability of the screw top for aging and the cork has a proven record there, so don't plan on seeing them on the elite wines that must be aged for long periods of time.

Screw tops are just as good for preserving wine as cork, or any other sort of seal.

It used to be that cheap wine was sold using screw caps because they were cheaper to use than cork, but now even some very good wines use them.

It is only the very high end wines that stick rigidly to cork, and even then just because cork is better for long term storage (and that doesn't have to be natural cork, there are now artificial corks that have the same properties as natural ones)

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The truth of the matter is that the carbon dioxide filling the space above the wine is what preserves it. I have a preference for artificial corks or screw tops, as these allow you to store the bottles upright and there is no danger of the wine getting "corked".

the only thing that will preserve the quality of wine is a vacuum seal, what ever it is, as long as Oxygen is kept out of the bottle you are good to go.

buy one of those vacuum kits for wines and that will make that wine last in top shape until the last drop.

very confusing problem. query on to bing and yahoo. this could actually help!