The controversy has existed for many years. Real corks? Synthetic corks? Screw caps? Glass closures? Bag in a Box? We see each of these examples everyday in wines shops and restaurants around the globe.
So, which one is best? Is there a definitive answer?
For centuries, wines have been sealed with cork, the bark of the cork tree – an oak tree. Cork trees are amazing. Their bark can be harvested to make cork products and they will regenerate their bark for yet another crop.
Recently I was in Chile. I had the opportunity to see a cork tree growing at
Montes Winery. It was amazing to see one “up close and personal.” This was
just one tree, there for the novelty and not for the use of its bark.
However, it got me thinking about the forests of cork trees out there.
There is news on the cork front. The Rain Forest Alliance is seeing to it that the rainforest trees are harvested with the utmost respect.
The first winery in the world, to use cork stoppers harvested from responsibly
managed forestlands certified by the Rainforest Alliance to Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) standards, is Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner, Oregon.
“We think about every aspect of how we can walk as softly as possible in pursuing our goal of making world-class Pinot Noir,” said Jim Bernau, founder and president of Willamette Valley Vineyards. “The question is: What is the best choice for the long-term health of the planet? The clear answer is natural cork that comes from a responsibly managed forest.”
More and more wineries will begin to use corks from the Rain Forest Alliance, or the other ecologically minded companies that will follow them. We are truly becoming a society respecting the planet that we live on. Hmm, perhaps all of those “earth muffins” in the late 1960’s were on the right track! Okay, I am still not going to wear an “earth shoe”, but I will do what I can to avoid global warming.
Yes, with natural cork, there will still be the risk of air gaining access to the bottle and “corking” the wine. However, the fact remains that society has used cork closures in wine for hundreds of years. Almost 15 billion corks go into bottles each year! An amazing number! Cork allows wines to age gracefully. With screw caps, who knows how that evolution will happen.
The majority of cork is harvested in areas with little opportunity to earn a living. Continuing to harvest the trees, in a responsible manner, provides employment opportunities for many families.
Screw caps, glass closures and bag-in-box systems will still have their place in the world of wine. Real cork is here to stay.
Now, how can you recycle corks? Well, you could make the ever popular corkboard, coffee table top, wreath, ornament, what-have-you…or your could shred the cork a little and use it as compost. Eventually (if this is not already being done and I just have not heard about it) we may be able to recycle corks the same way we recycle the bottles they came out of. They could be used to make cork products such as flooring or countertops.
For a while, many wineries were using resin corks. What were they smoking when
they came up with those???? They would literally glue themselves into the bottle,
making removal virtually impossible. Saber anyone? I remember taking a bottle
of Oregon wine to a conference in Montana. Several of us sat in a room, glasses
waiting and that cork would not come out! Finally, I was able to get it out,
along with half the bottle of wine, which shot up onto the wall as if it were
Old Faithful! Yes, it was humorous, but we lost a half a bottle of wine!
We are just starting to see glass closures, so the jury is still out. Bag-in-box – absolutely, it has its place. There are the usual suspects, Franzia (for those too young to remember, Franzia used to come in bottles, 1.5 and 3LT bottles!), Peter Vella, Hardy’s Stamps, Delicato, et al. There are also some higher end wines in a B-in-B that are quite worthy of everyday, house wine status. There are even local wineries providing B-in-B wines for local restaurants. Trust me, this is a great way to open a wine and know that it will continue to taste fresh for several days in a restaurant. They also do well for a “house wine” at home, if you only want a glass a day.
The best of the “B-in-B” wines for home use, in my opinion, are Black Box (California) and Mighty Murray (Australia).
So, there you have it, totally corky!
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