An increasing number of wineries, such as Bogle, St. Francis, and Fetzer, are emphasizing the benefits of natural cork. Natural cork not only allows wines to age perfectly but also gives wineries a competitive edge when it comes time to market their brands.
According to Wines & Spirits “25th Annual Survey of Top 50 Restaurant Wine Brands,”The top restaurants selected wines made with cork as the main ingredient. This accounts for 90 percent. This is a 21 percent increase over a decade, as compared to a 39% decline in wines with screws caps and a 70% drop for those using synthetic closures.
“These survey figures are consistent with the Aug. 16, 2014, Nielsen scan of the Top 100 Premium Brands, which showed that since the start of 2010, there has been a steady increase in cork’s market share — with a 30 percent positive slope for cork-finished wines compared to a 9 percent slope for wines with alternative closures,”Peter Weber, Executive Director at the Cork Quality Council (CQC), commented.
Christopher Silva, President & CEO of St. Francis said: “We believe that natural cork is an integral part of the romance of the wine experience. There is nothing that can duplicate the iconic ‘pop’ when a cork is pulled from the bottle.”
Silva claimed that his winery had stopped using cork over two decades ago because of inconsistent cork quality. Silva and his team continued to test corks on small amounts of wine every year, in the hope that cork would return. They noticed a steady improvement and decided it was time for cork to be returned to its original state in 2012.
He also stated that the use of natural corkIt is consistent with St. Francis’ commitment to sustainability. “We are a certified sustainable Sonoma County business that is powered by solar energy, uses eco-friendly packaging, and is active in water conservation and recycling.”
Weber continued, “In addition to cork’s robust sustainability credentials, wineries are also benefitting from the hundreds of million dollars that Portuguese cork manufacturers have invested in new technologies and improved quality-control measures.”
CQC members performed over 30,000 analyses in 2013. Their combined screening records show a steady reduction in measurable 2,4,6-Trichloroanisle (TCA) levels that are now 95 percent lower than the results seen when records were first tabulated in 2001.
“Using natural cork is an integral part of our message, heritage and culture,”Silva added.
