Screw Caps Banned!
The cork manufacturers of the world are pretty smart, visionary folk. Early on, when the first alternative closures for wine hit the market in response to too many wines gone bad due to tainted corks, cork manufacturers when on a promotional crusade to keep corks relevant. I learned today of what must be their greatest coup yet in their battled to maintain their closure market dominance:
They’ve simply found a way to keep the market all to themselves.
A press release hit the wires today noting that Spain has outlawed the use of anything but cork in wines made from 11 different wine region, including Priorat. In order for the wines from these regions to earn DO status, the equivalent of America’s AVA, they must close their still and sparkling wines with cork. It’s essentially a move to ban screwcaps.
"This Spanish law is yet another endorsement for the cork closure,"
says Elisa Pedro, Director of Communication & International
Relations for APCOR, the consortium of Portuguese cork producers.
"Spanish law makers and wine producers are responding to what wine
drinkers the world over have been telling us for a long time — cork is
a sign of quality for wine."
So how do you save the market for cork? You dismantle the market all together. I’m pretty sure Franco would have appreciated this law. Probably Mussolini too.
Let’s be clear about something here: There is no relationship between the use of cork to close a wine and the quality of the wine under the cork. Corks do not make wine better or of higher quality. In fact, cork is among the only closures for wine that is likely to make the wine worse in some cases as a result of contaminated corks infecting the wine with TCA, a compound that offers wine that unique wet cardboard aroma. Yummmmmmmmmm..
What I don’t know is exactly how this kind of idiotic, anti-free market law got past. It might have something to do with the fact that 23% of the world’s cork forests are in Spain that account for 32% of the worlds production.
The press release, sent out by the Portuguese Cork Industry association (APCOR), does not mention this fact. Rather, it implies that the decision to ban all other closures besides cork in 11 Spanish wine regions is one that was taken to insure quality…This, of course, makes no sense.
A recent survey of members of the wine trade in the United States, including sommeliers, showed that half of them preferred closures other than cork when enjoying wine IN THEIR OWN HOME. These are people who are IN TO WINE, who obsess about wine, who see out the highest quality wines, who are most concerned with the drinking the best.
It’s true that the average wine drinker still believes the best wines have cork in them. And this is largely true. However, the changeover to screwcap closures as well as other alternatives to cork continue to rise and gain acceptance. Screwcap, non-cork closures continue to become a cheaper alternative for wineries than cork and they have the added benefit of not tainting the wine. Current estimates of the percentage of wine killed by cork taint ranges from 3% to 10%.
I imagine that in the near future the wineries in these 11 regions of Spain will come to regret and dislike this new industry protection law as they see the rest of the world adopt alternative closures that keep their wines safe. This in turn will be bad for the Spanish cork producers who will continue to see their markets shrink and the prices they can command for cork diminish.
I wonder what kind of law they’ll come up with then?
Hello Tom,
I think cork is about marketing too. Have you ever seen a movie where the wine has a screw cap?
Portugal is also spending a lot of money (too much) to promote something that can lead to problems with wine to protect it’s own industry. As a Portuguese, I seriously hope that they change this in the near future
But Spain has gone a step further and is forbidding screw caps. It’s like goverments decided to protect tobacco companies…non-sense.
Andre…I think you’re 100% right. Cork is about marketing too. Here on LI, I’ve had several winemakers tell me they won’t use screwcaps because they fear being perceived as “lesser” in the eyes of the consumer.
Indeed. The issue of closures is almost completely about marketing, unless your only concern is the quality of the wine. If that is your absolute priortiy then you are pretty much obligated to go with the screwcap or another alternative closure.
However, few wineries tip the balance 100% in any one direction. Since cork is still all about perception, it makes some sense to remain with cork unil the perception that alternative closures mean lesser wine is dispelled. This is no more than ten years in coming in my view.
What’s interesting is that well informed wine drinkers know that screwcaps dont’ mean lesser quality, but rather means a guarantee that the wine won’t be tainted by TCA.
Andre: I have seen a movie where the wine has a screw cap. Now you can say the same:
http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/dooniversity/content/screwcap_video
I would totally prefer to get rid of corks. I always seem to rip the cork in half when opening bottles and then can’t get the other half out of the bottle and I gotta jam it down into the wine… bah to corks
St. Vini: excelent movie promoting the screwcap. Again it’s all about the marketing or why would the girls want to hear the pop ? 🙂
I prefer the Zork. I can reuse it even after I have tossed the bottle out. It pops like a cork but it all plastic and looks pretty cool with its wraparound seal.
http://www.zork.com.au/
and
http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1452034.htm
Screw caps get screwed
Cork is a sign of quality for wine, says Elisa Pedro, the Director of Communication International Relations for APCOR, the consortium of Portuguese cork producers. Thats why she doesnt have to worry about the increas…
I left speechless at this – but luckily I can still type. Perhaps they can provide specifications/legislation for label glue next. I love Spanish wine and I was hoping to see more of it under screwcap. The basic Torres Sangre de Toro quaffing red is sold locally under screwcap..I wonder if it applies to export orders to?
GW
April Fool’s Blawg Review Prequel
Ch. 1 — In which We Begin in an Interrogative Mode What kind of fool am I? I am, first, the kind of fool who signs himself up to host an issue of Blawg Review sometime in distant, sunny August,
April Fool’s Blawg Review Prequel
Ch. 1 — In which We Begin in an Interrogative Mode What kind of fool am I? I am, first, the kind of fool who signs himself up to host an issue of Blawg Review sometime in distant, sunny August,
April Fool’s Blawg Review Prequel
Ch. 1 — In which We Begin in an Interrogative Mode What kind of fool am I? I am, first, the kind of fool who signs himself up to host an issue of Blawg Review sometime in distant, sunny August,
The cork forests of Spain and Portugal are a biodivesity hot spot and forest of singular beauty that is supported every time you buy a cork. Cork can be easily recycled, is a natural material, and is culturally part of wine production since the 1600’s. Cork production sequesters carbon. The wine industry wants a cheaper closer, so all they talk about is taint: taint comes from three sources: cork, wine, and the environment. Even wine with screw tops can be tainted. Please see: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/mediterranean/about/forests/cork/index.cfm. Buy wine only with a cork in it and do a good thing for the world. Also: http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/corkscrewed.pdf
Portugal is also spending a lot of money (too much) to promote something that can lead to problems with wine to protect it’s own industry. As a Portuguese, I seriously hope that they change this in the near future
Screw caps are banned? Hmm interesting post!! I like reading this post!! =D hmm i guess I will continue reading this…