Cork, Plastic, or Screwtops...Making the Choice

A common question I get during tours here at JAV, is about closures, “what’s the best, natural cork, plastic cork or screwtops?” Right now it may be the biggest debate in our industry.
Let me start by saying that, at JAV we use natural cork. It’s what we started with nearly 15 years ago, and we haven’t deviated from it. However, I personally have no issues with synthetic corks (besides the fact that sometimes they can be tough to pull out), and our bottling line is also set up to do screw tops if we ever decide to go that route. Here’s what I think are the pros and cons of all 3 closures.

Natural Cork
     Pros:

1. It’s the industry standard, so there must be something good going on there. In fact, most research shows that natural cork is still used in about 70% of wines sold in the US.
2. It’s environmentally friendly, and since it comes from the cork tree without damaging the tree, it is a perfect example of a renewable resource.

     Cons:

1. Corks can dry up and will easily break when being pulled (although proper storage…wine stored on its side or upside) can many times eliminate the problem. Dry corks can also allow oxygen to penetrate into the wine causing it to oxidize  and eventually spoil.
2. Natural cork can sometimes acquire cork taint caused by the chemical trichlorsanisole (TCA) which leads to tainted wine.

Synthetic Cork
Pros:

1. Elimination of TCA and spoilage.

Cons:

1. Made from material that is not biodegradable (some synthetic corks are recyclable however).
2. Some research shows that some synthetic cork can impact a slight chemical flavor to wine.

Screw Tops
Pros:

1. Allows no oxygen to penetrate wine.
2. Easy to open, no cork screw skills required!

Cons:

1. Perception that wine is cheap…not high quality.
2. Miss the romance of not having the cork “pop” and the history and tradition of that process.

Having said all that, a recent survey suggests that perhaps the discussion about closures is more common place among wine professionals than the general public. Among a number of regular wine drinkers surveyed by Merrill Partners Research, showed that closure type is not among their top 3 reasons for buying a wine. It only became an issue when there was a problem!

On a personal note, every once in a great while, we come across a wine that has gone bad because of a bad cork, although I have seen reports that show corkage problems can occur in as high as 6% of all naturally corked wines…again, my experience is much lower than that.

Most of our personal buying isn’t based on what kind of closure the wine has, but other factors. However, I do have to say when at a nice restaurant I do miss the romance of hearing the pop and examining the cork that screw tops just don’t offer. My suggestion is that when looking for a good red wine that has aged, look for the natural cork. Otherwise, Enjoy the wines you want to try no matter what closure they have!