Put a Cork in It: Four Common Myths to Wine Closures
For some wine enthusiasts, the type of wine cork used can make or break one’s appreciation for the wine. Traditionalists often tend to have a historic and romantic allure around the history of a cork fastener for a bottle of wine. Screw cap proponents hail that the style is the most plausible solution and more reliable and much easier to open: no bottle opener required. And then there are synthetic stoppers, which offer yet another alternative to how wine is closed off for storage.
The type of wine closure can be a touchy subject, especially for a seasoned wine connoisseur. We aren’t picky with how our wine is stored; we just want it to taste good!
We provide four common myths to wine storage and how wine is corked, or not corked.
1. Screw caps are the most eco-friendly type of wine closures because they are not constructed from trees and made from a recyclable aluminum.
Myth: While the screw cap is made from recyclable aluminum, cork stoppers are not being produced by killing poor, innocent cork trees. Cork is a renewable resource and the trees are not cut down to harvest cork. Cork is created by peeling back the bark from the tree.
A cork oak must be at least 25 years old before its bark can be harvested. Its cork can then be stripped every 8 to 14 years after that for as long as the tree lives. The countries that produce the most cork include Portugal, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, France, Italy and Tunisia.
You can also recycle your cork. There are several fun DIY projects that involve re-using wine corks. You can also donate it to an organization like recork.org who helps to make sure corks are recycled.
2. You can determine if a bottle of wine is “corked” by smelling the cork.
Myth: A good cork will smell woody with a slight wine smell, but unfortunately so will a “corked” bottle of wine. The only true information that you can get from a bottle of wine is the year and brand.
What is a “corked” bottle of wine?
During the 21st natural corks began to get a bad reputation. There was the problem of a wine bottle becoming “corked” or getting “wine taint.” A “corked” bottle occurs due to a chemical reaction within the cork from a chemical compound that is produced by a bacterium or a fungus called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole or TCA for short. The result is a flat, moldy flavor rather than a fruit-filled taste and aroma. The chemical reaction is transmitted to the wine from the infected cork.
3. Age-worthy, expensive, and serious wines are always sealed the traditionally way: with a cork.
Myth: While research is still being conducted with the effects of screw caps on the taste of wine, preliminary studies show that there is no effect to the taste, no problem with TCA, and no irregular aging under screw caps. Some even argue that the taste of screw-capped wine is better, although we will let you be the judge of that!
4. Synthetic corks work well for wine being stored for a long time.
Myth: While synthetic stoppers may be immune to cork taint and are cheap to make, they completely block air from getting through. Many wine experts believe that some air is beneficial to the maturation of the wine. Synthetic corks also don’t expand and contract within the bottle, which occurs with even slight temperature fluctuations. Unlike synthetic corks, a natural cork will expand and contract alongside the bottle. Plus, synthetic corks can be a hassle to remove: and who wants to wrestle a cork out?
What type of wine closure do you prefer? Do you pick your favorite brand based on it?
