I was sitting at the bar of the Seattle Westin hotel a couple of weeks ago and asked for a glass of wine. The bartender grabbed a well-known brand’s bottle, twisted the cap and poured. “I didn’t know they (I think it was Cakebread, but I’m not sure) used a screw cap,” I said. “This is only for bars and restaurants,” she replied. “The consumer version is still sealed with a cork.”
I’ve had similar discussions with other on-premise pros. And yet I keep getting news such as yesterday”s announcement from 100% Cork and APCOR (The Portuguese Cork Association), that 91% of the world’s top wines selected by Wine Spectator in 2021 are sealed with cork closures. The survey also revealed that of the 33 domestic wines selected, 31 were sealed with cork (94%), while 60 of the 67 imported wines that made the Wine Spectator list were also sealed with cork closures (89.5%).
“Given the incredible natural properties of cork, it makes sense that the majority of the best wines from around the world are sealed with cork,” says Carlos de Jesus, operational director of the InterCork program of APCOR. “Its lightness, elasticity, carbon sequestration, and ability to provide consistent oxygen transfer to help with wine’s evolution, are just a few of cork’s characteristics.”
So, why does Cork closures continue to be the market leader for the wine market in the U.S., highlighted by significant growth in both sales and market share over the past decade? Between 2010 and 2020, case sales of cork finished wines among the top 100 premium brands increased 97% compared to 6% for alternative closures, according to Nielsen. During the last ten years, market share of premium cork finished wines jumped from 47% to 67.6%.
We suspect the answer to the question is that on-premise outlets, where time is money, don’t want to waste time popping corks. Wineeries have to make it easy for the pros who pour thousands of cases a year, because the easiest thing for a pro to do is select another wine. As for consumers, well . . .
Fighting Global Warming
Consumers might also care a lot more than a bar operator that natural cork closures have a negative carbon balance when used to seal wines bottled in glass containers, according to recent studies conducted by three of the world’s largest auditing companies. A single stopper has a balance of up to – 309 grams of CO2; numbers for sparkling wine stoppers go even higher at up to – 589 grams.
As a renewable and natural product, cork is harvested without damaging or cutting down the trees, which live for 200 years or longer. During its lifetime a cork oak tree can absorb 20 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere while producing up to 65,000 corks. Through sustainable harvesting, the cork industry is helping to fight climate change by preserving Europe’s largest oak forests from deforestation, while also providing high-paying jobs for agricultural farmers.