I'm glad you mentioned Madiera, I was thinking about introducing it into this thread. Seems the early colonialists in Charleston, after they'd made a few bucks, invested in Madeira wines, and stored them in their attics in Charleston because they get better the hotter the storage area is. They were also one of the few wines made that could survive the southern passage from europe to the North America without spoilage.

The Stelvin (screw top) is popular with the industry. Yes its cheaper, but it also does away with the problem of cork taint which afflicts 10% of wine. They get opened, sniffed and poured down the sink quite regulary at my place by the resident wine snob (not me, her).

Most wine is consumed within 2 hours of purchase, so most wine is not made to lie down, so the Stelvin is a good industry solution.

For those of us that like to collect and cellar better wines, the jury is out on how the Stelvin will affect (or equally, not affect) wine during its ageing process. Only time will tell. Some procucers are moving their premiuim wines to Stelvin, some are relasing their wines with both types of closures and offering customers the choice. Some are not moving at all because of consumer resistance.

On the question of keeping open reds- not a problem I often have- but its pretty straight forward. Cork or seal it, stcik it in the fridge, upright. If its OK the next day, drink it. If its OK the day after that, drink it. If -you think- its OK the next week, drink it.