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Q. I recently returned from a trip to Western Australia, visiting local wineries scattered throughout the region. Every bottle I brought home has a screw top, even the high-end bottles. For storage, do I still need to leave the bottles on their side since there is no cork to dry out or are there other benefits to laying a bottle down?

A. The research on the ageworthy capabilities of wines under screwcap is still quite controversial. The closure is extraordinarily popular in Australia, as you have discovered. There is no reason to believe, and no research that I have seen, that would indicate that there is any need to store screwcapped wines on their side.

The more relevant issues have to do with the wine's ability to breathe under screwcap. The lack of oxygen in an airtight closure can lead to off odors as the wine ages, though newer versions of the screwcap are attempting to address this problem as well.

* Paul Gregutt can be reached at wine@seattletimes.com.