exposing it to UV in a clear container over the space of days isn't really the best thing for it.

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you're supposed to say it this way:

"Is this good for storing kool-aid?"

which of course is the proper set up for someone to come in and say:

"OH YEAH!"

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Thats right...its mostly stigma that keeps wines in bottles and corks. There are actually some very drinkable "good" wines in boxes and I could see no problem with a similar treatment for top shelf wines.

I always laugh when I see folks buy wine to age, when they have neither the environment, nor the wine that will age properly.

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when you say 'most wines', do you mean 'the majority of gallons produced' or 'the majority of wines produced'?

Gallo sells a lot of wine that doesn't benefit from aging, as does old Chuck.

Since most wine (gallons/year)is cheap wine, it's true that 'most wine' doesn't benefit much from aging (especially considering how much of that is white wine) However while most wine doesn't need aging, most wines (varietals/wineries) DO.

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If you're doing a brisk by-the-glass business, with a shiraz, a merlot, a cab, a chardonnay, a pinot grigio, and a couple others, why have all that space wasted with bottles that will sit around no longer than a couple weeks?

I'm not saying Petrus should start selling by the bag, but that a very high percentage of wines sold in restaurants and retail need no aging.

95% of wine should use screw-tops, period. Anything else is snobbery unsupported by any serious scientific evidence.

And I drink a lot of wine. Probably too much. I do have a few sections in my cellar with bottles labeled "Not until 20XX," but most of it is to be enjoyed whenever I feel like opening it.

A restaurant should absolutely be able to order its by-the-glass selections in bulk. That Kendall Jackson Chardonnay isn't getting any better.

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Well as one who follows specific vintages over the course of years, I can tell you that they change rather dramatically over periods of as short as 6 months. Sure, you CAN drink an '08 pinot noir now, but it will invariably mellow and settle over the next 2 years. If one can't taste the difference of a years time in a young pinot or cab, then i dare say one lacks any justification for purchasing anything but young wine. A barrel tasting should avail you of the notion that aging is trivial - cabs are waaaay harsh right out of the barrel, the tannins haven't degraded significantly yet.

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But the US has a real stigma about boxes, so you can't get any good ones there.

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