Screw, Natural, Synthetic and now the Zork and the Vinolok!

I have asked wine makers about their choice in corks, most of them use the natural cork because of tradition and the craftsmanship they put into their product they want to see this thru to the cork.  However, with all the choices now and the cost of losing a bottle to “cork” contamination other choices have gained popularity and  are due some consideration.

Natural Cork

Natural Corks benefits the wine aging by letting small amount of air into the bottle. Your bold wines and reds benefit from the oxygen that the cork allows in development of all the wonderful flavors that make these wines so drinkable and approachable.

A natural cork though can dry out, go bad or let too much air into the bottle and the biggest problem…being “Corked” which is a very expensive loss.

Agglomerated Cork

This cork is made from cork dust and glue….although food safe, do you really want this in contact with your beautiful wine?  Agglomerated cork are not meant to be in bottles that are intended for aging, this cork is only good for wine intended for drinking six months after bottling. There are some brands of Agglomerated cork  that wine makers are turning to in order to save them on the cost of losing their wine which they feel is a better choice. You will see the stamp on the cork (diam5, daim10) which this company gaurantees purity, longer time in bottle and reduction of loss due to cork taint.

1+1 Cork

This is a combination of agglomerated cork center with whole natural cork ends. These are only intended to last up to 4 years.

Synthetic Cork

When you see a plastic cork my first thought is (after breaking all my wine openers) why would the wine maker spend all his time, energy and craftsmanship into making their wine and then go with synthetic for the cork?

 A synthetic cork prevents “cork taint” contamination and they are cheaper, they don’t expand or contract which makes it so they keep a tight seal.  This is also what makes it so it does not allow for oxygen, which with a natural cork allows the reaction during aging that gives so much of the flavor.  Some even say the synthetic cork, which is made from petroleum based plastic, can give off chemical taste.

Screw Top

Wine snob move over the screw tops are on the rise!

The Screw top is great for the young wines that don’t need to age to be great and there is less chance of spoilage due to being “corked”.  The screw top is what I look for when camping, hiking or picnicking to make it easier to open the bottle and less stuff to pack.

They have perfected the screw cap to allow for some oxygen ingress. The Stelvin screw cap has a reputation for being one of the best.

Vinolok

A Vinolok cork is a 100% natural glass seal, popular in Europe; very expensive however provides a good seal to prevent “cork” contamination. Has no impact on flavor or aroma which will perfectly hold the aroma and terroir articulation. This is pure class!

Zork

The Zork is a peal and reusable no corkscrew needed closure, which makes it good for camping, hiking and picnicking.  The Zork maintains the seal of the bottle so no “cork” taint however as mentioned before the oxygen is part of the beauty of aging wine for more flavor.

Next time you open a bottle, take a good look at the type of cork the wine maker used and decide for yourself.

Cheers!

Denise