Closure types: oxygen, not prestige
The standard
The matched oxygen permeability judges a closure not by prestige but by whether its oxygen ingress suits the intended maturation.
Criteria
- What matters is the oxygen permeability, not the material
- A wine meant to age needs a different closure than one to drink young
- Tightness over the years counts more than the initial state
- Natural cork carries a fault risk of its own that other closures do not
Distinction
Closure type ≠ quality tier: a screwcap is no sign of lesser ambition but a decision about oxygen ingress. Closure type ≠ seal: the seal is one component of the closure, the closure type the whole principle. Only the matched oxygen permeability makes the choice a question of fact.