Natural Cork
Natural cork has been used for thousands of years to seal all kinds of perishable containers, including wine bottles. Cork fell out of favor after Antiquity, but reemerged in the 17th century under the direction of Dom Perignon.
The use of Natural Corks in Wine Bottles
The best cork comes from the Quercus Suber tree in Portugal, but cork grows naturally in many regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Portuguese cork is a nearly $400 million annual industry. Amorim is the international leader in cork production.
Despite its long track record, natural cork has recently come under attack in some spheres of the wine world. A significant amount of wine is lost each year to TCA taint which can usually be traced to faulty natural corks. The exact amount of wine lost to TCA is controversial; estimates range from as high as 15% to as low as 1%.
In response to this dilemma, an increasing number of wineries are considering synthetic corks, screw caps, or hybrid corks. Despite this trend, there are definite benefits to natural cork that many wine producers are not willing to forgo.
Wines age when they are exposed to tiny amounts of oxygen that seep through natural cork. This is what turns the rim of a glass of aged wine slightly brown. Synthetic corks and screw caps do not allow this delicate process to occur. Because hybrid corks contain some natural cork, some may allow a bit of oxidation, but the jury is still out on their ability to do so.
On the other hand, too much oxidation spoils wine. Natural corks, especially inexpensive ones, can be quite inconsistent in the propensity to expose a wine to oxygen. Additionally, some wines do not benefit at all from age and should be consumed as soon after bottling as possible.
Natural cork production is both expensive and labor intensive. Cork trees are raised for 15 to 25 years before they reach producing age. Once the trees are mature, their bark is stripped once every 9 years. If done carefully, the process does not kill the tree, and they will continue to produce cork for many years.
Depending on quality and size, the price of a single natural cork can range from under $.10 to over $2. The smallest are about 2.75 inches and largest are about 5.25 inches. Because most is imported, the current weakness of the U.S. Dollar has increased these costs. While synthetic corks, screw caps and hybrid corks are normally less expensive, they require expensive machinery to insert them.
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