Natural Cork, Screwcaps, Plastic Corks or Glass Corks

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A Never Ending Story

For more than 20 years, the wine trade has been debating on the best way to close wine bottles in order to avoid so-called cork taint. There is no question that this happens repeatedly, and it spoils the enjoyment of the wine. The unpleasant musty taste is caused by trichloroanisole, a chlorinated, aromatic hydrocarbon.

The following theories on this subject, published in various media, are exaggerated and presumably depend upon who publishes them or on whose behalf they are published. The choices here range from producers of plastic corks, screwtops, glass corks, the natural cork industry to environmentalists.

- Natural cork is affected by trichloroanisole because of improper handling (drying).
- 10 to 20 % of all wines have cork contamination.
- Plastic corks are just as suitable as natural corks for wines which are stored for many years.
- Plastic corks contain "softeners" which can enter the wine if it is stored for a long period of time and which can cause health problems.
- Wine cannot breathe and mature if glass corks are used.
- Environmental associations are afraid that the cork oak forests in Spain, Portugal and Sardinia will disappear.

None of the publications of which I am aware have claimed that the increase in cork contamination is connected with the way in which the cork oak forests are managed. Whereas 40 years ago the bark of the cork oaks was stripped at intervals of between 12 to 14 years, this has now been reduced to between 8 and 9 years with the help of strong artificial fertilization. In order to protect the cork oaks from fungal decay and mold, it is customary today to use fungicides containing chlorophenol, which presumably produces trichloroanisole during its biological decomposition.

After considering the advantages and disadvantages of the individual systems, which wine closures a wine-grower uses and which ones the wine drinker favors still seems to be a question of personal preference today.

If the owners of the cork oak forests were to switch to biological farming methods, they would be able to produce flawless corks once again.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.organicwinepure. com


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Natural cork or alternative wine closures?

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This is an issue which is becoming increasingly important for organic wine-growers, since a wine which tastes of cork will not satisfy the customers and will mean increasing costs for the wine dealers if they have to replace cork-tainted wines.

Apart from its origin, cork, which is a natural product, is no longer environmentally friendly if you consider how it is produced using fertilizers and fungicides on the oak trees and how the bark is turned into a finished cork for a bottle of wine. The production of "natural corks" and pressed corks, which are made from waste products of natural cork, involves processes such as boiling, bleaching, coloring and sizing, which are not exactly beneficial to the environment.

In addition, these products also cause problems for getting rid of household waste, which is no longer brought to a garbage dump but is now burned, and the burning of these requires a great deal of energy. On the other hand plastic corks, made of polyethylene, produce more energy when they are burned than is required to ignite them.

Environmentally conscious wine-growers use unbleached and uncolored natural corks for their high-quality organic wines, and plastic corks are also no longer taboo.

Environmentally conscious wine drinkers do not put their natural corks into the household waste; they have them recycled as insulation material. If there is no collection point where you live, you can send us the natural corks you have accumulated.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.biowein-pur.de

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Château La Canorgue - consistently at the top for 15 years

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Since we started working with the Château La Canorgue almost 20 years ago, we have always valued the unfailingly high quality of their wines. The quality of a winery and a vintner is not proven with one single good wine from an exceptional vintage; it becomes evident in consistently high-quality wines in continuous vintages, as is the case with the Château la Canorgue.

Medals and rewards

1993 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Elected Wine producer of the Year by the Guide Gault-Millau

1994 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

1995 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours des Vins de France in Macon

1996 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Elected Best Rosé de France by L’Officiel des Grands Vins

1997 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Exibition in Orange
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Silbermedal fort he Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Orange
Bronzemedal for the Viognier at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture biologique

1998 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours des Vins de France in Macon
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Fair in Orange
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

1999 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Fair in Avignon
Bronzemedal for the Chardonnay at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture biologique

2000 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

2001 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Silbermedal for the Concours des Vins de France in Macon
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé beim Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

2002 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal für den Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Weinmesse in Orange

2003 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Orange

2004 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

2005 Goldmedal for the Vin de Pays red bat the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Chardonnay at the Fair Biofach in Nuremberg

2006 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon white at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

2007 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Concour General Agricole de Paris
Coup de Coeur for the Viognier by the Guide Hachette


Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.com
http://www.organicwinepure.com/

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