There are signs that the use of cork stoppers as a closure on wine bottles is increasing and that its new popularity is partly due to its strong sustainability credentials. In the UK, bulk wine importers are installing new bottling lines so that bottles can also be sealed with corks and not only screw caps.
The fact that the demand for cork is increasing is due, it is believed, to two things.
Today, there are far fewer problems with cork-tainted wines thanks to cork manufacturers’ successes with new technology. Also, the natural cork is perceived as environmentally friendly.
The total market for cork today is 13.2 billion units, of which Amorin, the largest cork producer in Portugal and the world, produces 6 billion. While the overall market for wine is not increasing, sales of cork and screw caps are increasing at the expense of plastic corks, which are in decline, says Amorim.
BKWine has long argued the environmental properties of cork. Once the bark of a cork oak has been harvested, there is no waste. Everything can be used (and the tree still stands). The corks can be recycled and used for various products (not for wine again, though). The trees absorb carbon dioxide, and a cork oak that is harvested absorbs 3-5 times more than one that is not harvested.
Read more: thedrinksbusiness
Read: Read more on cork in these cork articles on BKWine Magazine.
