Have you ever wondered how the cork that seals a wine bottle affects the quality of your wine? Many wine drinkers are intrigued at what a cork can do for wine as it ages. But, before we get into that, we should learn what exactly cork is and why it’s even used to seal wine bottles.
What is cork?
Cork is a unique natural product created out of the bark of cork oak trees. It’s unique in the sense that it has a select set of characteristics not normally found in nature (lightweight, rot resistant, fire resistant, termite resistant, impermeable to gas and liquid, soft and buoyant). To turn it into the bottle stopper you know and love, the bark is carefully created into a spongy, flexible cork.
What is cork doing to my wine?
In short, and as you probably already know, your cork preserves your wine. Wine and oxygen are not known to be best of friends. You leave some wine open over night (oops) and you end up with something you don’t want to drink the next day. When oxygen interacts with a wine it ends up yielding an oxidized wine AKA not good. So, the cork is intended to keep just enough oxygen out for you to enjoy your wine.
Cork Quality
Like snowflakes and wine lovers, not all corks are created equally. They range from poor to high quality, depending on the manufacturer’s technique. So, how can you tell what type of quality your cork is?
Low quality – The main sign that a cork is low quality is that it breaks apart during the process of opening the bottle. Low quality corks are often improved when the manufacturer adds cork dust and glue, giving the now colmated cork a dense appearance.
Bleached corks – These have a pale appearance compared to its natural color. At times this type of cork can cause trichloroanisole (TCA) cork taint. The substance taints around 1-2% of wines, so your chances of coming across one aren’t that high.
High quality corks – These are solid and strong in appearance and do not easily fall apart. High quality corks should not show visible signs of wine stains that have seeped up the sides while in storage.
TCA and Corks
As mentioned above, some corks can cause TCA taint. Have you ever opened a bottle of wine and inhaled a potent moldy odor? This is a sign that the wine has been tainted. TCA develops from chemical reactions within the wine bottle. The cork contains lignin molecules that react with the environment, therefore creating trichlorophenol.
Most wine manufacturers are dedicated to providing palatable wines and using high quality cork to seal their bottles. On occasion there are times when some manufacturers may choose to use less expensive cork for the obvious reason of just cutting on costs.
Usually TCA will develop over time, so as the wine ages there is more of a possibility that it will influence your wine experience. If you are aware that a specific brand of wine uses corks that are less quality than others, be sure to drink the wine within a short time frame. If you are choosing to store wine in your collection for many years, assure that the cork is high quality to avoid having to disregard the wine.
Other cork types
We covered the natural corks, but there’s one left – synthetic corks. These are made of polyethylene and have a few pros and cons when it comes to preserving your wine.
The best part for consumers? You shouldn’t have to worry about TCA taint. Best part for winemakers? The material is consistent enough where you can predict how the wine in the bottle will taste at given points in time. It’s also less expensive.
What’s not so good? Synthetic corks, unlike natural corks, don’t expand in the bottle. And because temperature fluctuations cause wine bottles to expand and contract, synthetic corks can’t provide that same tight seal natural corks can.
So there you have it. Have some cork knowledge you want to chime in on? Let us know!
Download CorkageFee and find out what restaurants are charging in your area
