 To
Cork or Not to Cork
– Is That Really the Question?
By Lars Sorensen
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little
tired of the endless hype surrounding the debate on whether or not
winemakers should be using screw caps, synthetic stoppers, or
natural cork for their bottling needs. Every wine publication
this past year has made its case for one type of stopper or another,
and usually, they have merely served to expose their total ignorance
about the subject. Having spent many years in the cork business, I
hope I can lend some insight to some of the half-truths you’ve been
reading about and set the cork record straight on a number of
counts.
First, let’s get one thing straight – cork is cork – end of
story. Something bright yellow, made of rubber and likely to
dislocate your wrist while attempting to extract it from a bottle,
is not cork. A screw caps is not cork. Nothing but the natural bark
from
Quercus Suber,
the cork oak tree that thrives in the Mediterranean region should be
referred to as “cork”. Secondly, there is no shortage of natural
cork, as the synthetic stopper manufacturers would like you to
believe. How could there be? It’s a renewable resource! Cork oak
trees are not harmed when the bark is stripped and used for wine
stoppers or for building materials such as insulation. Thirdly,
natural cork should not be blamed for every fault and defect
associated with tainted wine. Wine can be perceived as being “off”
for a number of reasons - a major one being oxidation. Unsanitary
conditions associated with microbial malpractice in the winemaking
process can also lead to “off” wines. Let’s be honest – there’s a
lot of bad wine out there made by people who should find another
line of work.
OK! I’ll come clean. Is it obvious that I’m tired of natural cork
always getting a bum rap? You bet I am! Do I think there is a place
for screw caps and synthetic stoppers along with natural cork?
Definitely! Do I think that 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA (the
chemically related compound that causes a musty, moldy or “corked”
odor in bottled wine) in natural cork is a problem? Without
question! But is it sensible for winemakers to go screaming through
the vineyards after a slight encounter with it. I don’t think so!
Should the winemaker swear off natural cork forever and go 100%
synthetic, or screw cap? That’s certainly his or her prerogative.
The good news is that the natural cork industry has never worked
harder to provide the wine industry with clean, quality product.
 We
should thank the synthetic market for putting some pressure on the
natural cork industry to improve their practices. However, plastic
is not without its problems. Oxidation and leakage problems have
been the Achilles Heal of the synthetic stopper industry. Synthetics
also prove more difficult to remove than its cork counterparts. And,
the effectiveness of plastic to act as a sealant in bottles of good
quality wines destined to age 10 to 20 years remains unknown.
To me, it seems logical to use synthetics or screw caps for white
wines and young reds that will be consumed within one to two years.
Use them for simple wines and fruit wines that do not benefit from
aging. Currently, no substantiated research exists in any
peer-reviewed journal that supports the use of synthetic stoppers or
screw caps in allowing the aging process of wine to take place.
Natural cork is still the only closure that allows wine to evolve
and become better with time. C’mon, we put wine in wood barrels for
a reason. We put wood corks in bottles for a reason too! And let’s
be honest - nothing enhances the wine experience like popping a
natural cork. It’s a beautiful thing!
I’ll leave you with one last thought. Nearly 30 billion bottles
of wine are produced worldwide every year. Less than 5% have
synthetic stoppers. That leaves how many with natural cork?
Not even worth doing the math, is it?
|
