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
