To Cork or Not to Cork
A large controversy in the wine industry in recent years has been about artificial corks and screw caps. Most people either hate cork or love it or either hate screw caps or are advocates of them. As with most debates all sides have their pros and cons.
The believers in screw caps and artificial cork use the main argument of the development of an off flavor from tainted corks. Corks, being the bark of a tree, frequently have mold growing on or in it. During their preparation for use as wine closures, the corks are bleached, and if the fungus is present in the cork, a highly aromatic compound called Trichloroanisole (TCA) is formed. This TCA has a very disagreeable smell that is detectable in very low concentrations and will quickly ruin a bottle of wine if the wine encounters a tainted cork. Winemakers refer to a wine having detectable levels of TCA as being “corked.” It is estimated that between 3% and 5% of the corks used are tainted with TCA. Unfortunately, there is no efficient way to determine whether a cork is tainted until it is inserted into a bottle of wine.
Synthetic corks are not without problems of their own and have not been widely embraced by the industry. The biggest problem has been the slow passage of oxygen through the synthetic cork, which after a period of time, can result in oxidized wines that exhibit symptoms of browning and the development of a sherry or prune taste. Others are hesitant to put their wines in contact with the elastic polymers that make up a synthetic cork for fear that some undesirable compounds may be extracted from the corks.
More recently, there has been a renewed push for screw caps. The beverage industry has long regarded a screw cap as the nearly ideal closure. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, a very effective seal, and best of all, does not require a special tool (corkscrew) or skill to get at the product inside. Unfortunately, because of all of the tradition and mystique that pervade the wine industry, wine drinkers tend to associate a screw cap with inexpensive wines of low quality. Also with screw caps, winemakers have to purchase all new equipment. This is an expensive venture that many vineyards do not want implement, if they did decide to make the move they would need to raise the price of their wines in order to cover the cost. Another issue is presentation at an establishment. Since the boom of the screw cap there hasn’t been a universal presentation technique implemented, this takes away from allure of the wine presentation.
Everyone has their favorite closures. If you are a cork advocate or a screw cap advocate, I suggest you try a bottle of wine with a closure you normally wouldn’t buy. If you would like some suggestions of good wines with different closures feel free to stop by and ask! Happy Tasting!
The believers in screw caps and artificial cork use the main argument of the development of an off flavor from tainted corks. Corks, being the bark of a tree, frequently have mold growing on or in it. During their preparation for use as wine closures, the corks are bleached, and if the fungus is present in the cork, a highly aromatic compound called Trichloroanisole (TCA) is formed. This TCA has a very disagreeable smell that is detectable in very low concentrations and will quickly ruin a bottle of wine if the wine encounters a tainted cork. Winemakers refer to a wine having detectable levels of TCA as being “corked.” It is estimated that between 3% and 5% of the corks used are tainted with TCA. Unfortunately, there is no efficient way to determine whether a cork is tainted until it is inserted into a bottle of wine.
Synthetic corks are not without problems of their own and have not been widely embraced by the industry. The biggest problem has been the slow passage of oxygen through the synthetic cork, which after a period of time, can result in oxidized wines that exhibit symptoms of browning and the development of a sherry or prune taste. Others are hesitant to put their wines in contact with the elastic polymers that make up a synthetic cork for fear that some undesirable compounds may be extracted from the corks.
More recently, there has been a renewed push for screw caps. The beverage industry has long regarded a screw cap as the nearly ideal closure. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, a very effective seal, and best of all, does not require a special tool (corkscrew) or skill to get at the product inside. Unfortunately, because of all of the tradition and mystique that pervade the wine industry, wine drinkers tend to associate a screw cap with inexpensive wines of low quality. Also with screw caps, winemakers have to purchase all new equipment. This is an expensive venture that many vineyards do not want implement, if they did decide to make the move they would need to raise the price of their wines in order to cover the cost. Another issue is presentation at an establishment. Since the boom of the screw cap there hasn’t been a universal presentation technique implemented, this takes away from allure of the wine presentation.
Everyone has their favorite closures. If you are a cork advocate or a screw cap advocate, I suggest you try a bottle of wine with a closure you normally wouldn’t buy. If you would like some suggestions of good wines with different closures feel free to stop by and ask! Happy Tasting!
posted by The Wine Corner | 10:20 PM
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