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What About Plastic Corks and Screw caps?
This is a subject that has raised a lot of questions because things have changed rather rapidly. Lately, when you buy wine you’ve probably noticed that, more and more often, the standard natural cork has been replaced by other closures like plastic corks or screw-caps.
Why is this happening? The two main reasons are cost and frustration due to imperfections in the cork. Here’s a little background:
The first duty of any closure is to seal the bottle and protect the wine from oxygen. In that regard, cork has proven to be an excellent closure over a number of centuries. It swells when it comes into contact with moisture and creates a tight seal. The downside is that cork is the bark of the cork oak tree, and we can’t exercise absolute quality control over tree bark! Click here for “Corks: from the tree to the bottle”. If the cork fails to perform properly and doesn’t swell into the neck of the bottle, the wine is exposed to too much air and it spoils. Fortunately, spoiled wine isn’t harmful, but it can be offensive. When the wine becomes oxidized, initially it may lose its freshness and fruitiness. As the spoilage progresses the wine browns and develops off aromas such as fingernail polish or vinegar.
The most common problem associated with cork is that sometimes microscopic fungi, in the presence of moisture, convert naturally occurring chlorophenols into chloroanisole. The compound that gets into the wine is called 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, or as most prefer to call it, TCA. It can make the wine smell “corky” like an old, dank basement or moldy newspapers. Other chloroanisole contaminants have been identified, too, that similarly detract from the wine. The good news is, again, that it can’t hurt you. The bad news is that it stinks!
Corks aren’t the only source of TCA in wine. It can come from contaminated barrels, air-born molds or molds in containers, especially wooden boxes. TCA can also be found in fresh produce that has traveled in wooden boxes and in other food products due to contamination during processing. For wine, the cork is still the most likely culprit.
While the human threshold for detecting TCA is measured in parts per trillion, some of us are more sensitive than others. In very low concentrations, TCA may simply deaden the fruity aromas in the wine without it being obviously due to cork taint. As the level increases, it becomes more identifiable and offensive.
The exact incidence of cork taint is hotly debated. Estimates range from one to 8 percent. This is true regardless of the region of origin or quality of the wine. Quality control can reduce, but not eliminate the incidence of cork taint. However, there’s some very encouraging work being done in this area. For more on this click here for “Corks, from the tree to the bottle.”
Read more
NVWR® 55 – To Cork or Not To Cork
November 13, 2007 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In this episode George Taber, a journalist whose career has spanned over 40 years, tells Nancy Hawks Miller, a 20-year veteran of the wine industry and our Director of Education, all about his new book To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.
Please listen through this episode to learn about a limited time, very special promotion. If you’re a member of our Wine Club, you’ll hear one of the most significant promotions we’ve ever offered. These special discount offers are only available until December 7, 2007. Cheers!
NVWR® 21 – The Cork Industry, Part 4 of 4
July 27, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Part 4: In this final segment on the cork industry, Heinz Heidenreich, of Cork Supply USA, talks about new closures and innovations in the industry as he concludes his discussion with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education.
Text: Corks, from the Tree to the Bottle
NVWR® 20 – The Cork Industry, Part 3 of 4
July 25, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Part 3: In this third of four segments on the cork industry, Heinz Heidenreich, of Cork Supply USA, will talk about cork taint and some of the recent advances that have been made to address the issue as he continues his discussion with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education.
Text: Corks, from the Tree to the Bottle
NVWR® 19 – The Cork Industry, Part 2 of 4
July 20, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Part 2: In this second of four segments on the cork industry, Heinz Heidenreich, of Cork Supply USA, talks about the advantages and drawbacks of alternative closures such as plastic corks and screw caps as he continues his conversation with our Director of Education, Nancy Hawks Miller.
Text: Corks, from the Tree to the Bottle
NVWR® 18 – The Cork Industry, Part 1 of 4
July 18, 2006 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Part 1 of 4: We’re departing from our usual bi-weekly format for this special interview on the current state of the cork and closure industry, which is broken into four (4), approximately 10-minute segments. Segments one and two will be released on July 18th and 20th, and parts three and four on July 25th and 27th respectively. In this first of four segments, Heinz Heidenreich, of Cork Supply USA, provides some information on the history of the cork, its sources, and tells us about how it gets from the tree to the bottle as he begins his discussion with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education.
Text: Corks, from the Tree to the Bottle
NVWR® 4 – Closures
November 5, 2005 by David
Filed under Napa Valley Wine Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Cork history and current trends in wine closures. Information about each type of closure, including plastic corks, screw caps and crown caps, with the advantages and disadvantages of each.
