Corks of the future.

I met a girlfriend the other day for some good old fashion chitchat and a beverage. When I arrived she was already seated at a window table sipping on a glass of Shiraz. The bottle was placed on the table with the cork carefully lying beside it. After the initial hello she picked up the cork and with amazement in her voice said, "look at this". The cork was the usual shape but made of a synthetic material. Well folks don't get confused or upset when you see this new phenomenon, it's the wave of the future. I have never been able to find out the reason cork was first used to seal a bottle of wine and for the most part why. Yes tradition is a wonderful thing, but cork in a wine bottle does have its disadvantages. The first that comes to mind is the fact it is a natural organism that can contract or expand due to temperature fluctuations. This can cause the cork to get moldy and taint the flavor of the wine or the bottle may leak. Cork is one of the main reasons for a bottle of wine to be musty. Now if you are a collector this is your biggest fear and that is why you have a temperature-regulated cellar. Cork is also becoming very expensive. If you open an expensive bottle of wine you will see a long beautiful cork stamped with the vineyards logo. As the price of the wine gets less expensive the length of the cork decreases. Some vineyards have decided to be trailblazers with the new synthetic corks. I have no problem with this new cork knowing the wine has been sealed properly and the true flavor of the wine will come to life in my glass. Yes it also makes the winemaker's job a little easier. By not using cork he doesn't have to balance the effect the cork might have on the flavor of the wine, especially long term effects. Don't get me wrong. I love the presentation of opening a fine wine with a corkscrew and the romance it can bring. I am just stating the facts. The next time you see one of the synthetic corks you should not feel the vineyard is trying to fool you with a substandard corking method. Lets just thank our lucky stars they have chosen the new synthetic cork instead of trying to woo us to a screw top or some other closure that eliminate the beloved corkscrew. Well I am sure they already know better than to try that.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic