Comments on: Should We Cork It Or Not

By: Olaf

Olaf — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:03:20 +0000

I like the Screw cork very much:

no more cork peaces inside the wine
tasting cork

By: Mac

Mac — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:12:24 +0000

I live in France and a cork is considered the proper way to do things. Go in the supermarket and you will only find wine in plastic bottles and some sort of screw top.

I’ve no idea if it really matters, don’t drink the stuff myself, but the masses want easy and cheap. Is the average enologist going to make the perfect wine for my great grandchildren or is she going to make something to pay the bills in the immediate future?

By: Kristen Banker

Kristen Banker — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:37:25 +0000

Sonny, thanks for the additional information on this sensitive topic. Your points should be read by everyone interested in the cork verse screw-top debate. And the World Wildlife Fund cork project is awesome. Keep up the great green work!

By: Sonny Jelinek

Sonny Jelinek — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:09:24 +0000

Thank you for creating discussion around this issue Kristen. The bottom line is that by using cork products, you're helping preserve the cork forest habitat. If there is no (or little) demand for cork, farmers will be forced to sell their lands for alternative use (i.e. property development). Cork is one of the most renewable and sustainable products in the world. After the cork bark is harvested from the tree, it immediately begins to grow back. The trees are never cut down. Bark harvested for cork stopper use occurs approximately every 9 years because at that point the bark is thick enough to punch out a wine cork. During the 200+ year lifespan of a cork tree, it is filtering carbon dioxide and creating what the World Wildlife Fund calls one of the most diverse habitats for plants and animals found anywhere in the world. The cork industry continues to work to reduce the incidence of corky taste and every year there are improvements in this area. Let's not destroy such a valuable natural resource just to appease the relatively small number of complaints (in comparison to bottles pleasantly consumed) of corky taste in wine. If you really want to help our planet, ask your winemaker to use real cork. For more information visit The World Wildlife Fund cork projector our blog for comprehensive information on cork.

By: Kristen Banker

Kristen Banker — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:52:53 +0000

Good point about cellaring the wine with a traditional cork. How do you feel about respectable wine-makers turning their back on the cork stating that their marketing departments say screw-top protects both taste and the environment? Many greenies think the switch is a little more than a cost-cutting measure.

By: Steen Seo Ohman

Steen Seo Ohman — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:20:22 +0000

For average wines it could be ok.

But for cellaring, it’s really not an option.

Would never gamble with a new type of “cork” and keep the wine for 20+ years in the cellar. The old traditional cork has proven it works in the long run.

But if you dont use cork for cheep wines, then its possible to get better corks for the expensive wines made for years of cellaring.