Head for Showdown
March 20, 2004
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Huffman is closely involved in all aspects of his
winery’s operations beginning with vineyard
management, through harvesting, vinifying,
blending and bottling. Yet despite all that attention,
Huffman knows that five to 10 percent of his wine
will have deteriorated or spoiled by the time a
consumer opens the bottle.
taint." And while there are steps Huffman could take to minimize cork taint, he
continues to use natural cork in spite of its risks.
Cork taint is caused by trichloroanisole (TCA), a naturally occurring compound that
imparts off flavors and aromas into wines. Natural corks are the most common
cause of TCA. An individual’s ability to perceive the affect of cork taint is highly
variable, but its impact is musty aromas and flavors which are generally negative.
To Huffman, the tradition and reputation of cork outweigh the negatives. “I like
cork. There’s a lot of tradition there. It’s embarrassing to have a corked wine, but
we replace it,” says Huffman. “People expect natural cork when they buy a nice
bottle of wine.”
industry executives estimate that
as much as 12 percent of wines
suffer from cork taint. That’s a
staggering figure considering the
current challenging economic state
of the industry. Most wineries,
restaurants and retailers readily
replace “corked” wines or refund a
purchase, but such a policy hardly
solves the problem and it
undercuts the profitability of the
entire industry.
natural cork despite its risks
the source of their dissatisfaction with a bottle of wine. Levy owns Wine Savor in
Santa Clarita California, a tasting bar and retail store where all bottles sell for less
than $10. She estimates that six percent of the bottles she opens for the bar are
corked. Yet in six months of retail sales, only one bottle has been returned due to
cork taint. “The customer just assumes they don’t like the wine, they don’t think
that it’s spoiled,” says Levy. “They’re unlikely to buy again from that winery and it
hurts their confidence in us as a wine retailer.”
Winemaker Huffman agrees that many people don’t identify the cork taint. “I’ve
poured bottles of tainted wine to experts to see how they react and often they don’t
identify TCA.”
Corks are made from the bark of the cork tree and it’s this natural composition
that supports the growth of TCA. Other sources of TCA can be musty storage
facilities and even the use of cleaning chemicals designed to sanitize production
and storage areas. Sonoma winery, Hanzell Cellars identified its old cellars and
chlorine cleaning supplies as the source of a major cork taint problem last year.
The company pulled nearly 3,000 cases of wine because of cork taint.
The economics of such recalls and growing concerns about quality have led
some wineries to use artificial cork, screwcaps and other closures. But
consumer acceptance of such closures is uneven, primarily due to the perception
that they are used only by cheap, low-quality wines.
Don’t tell that to Plumpjack Winery, the Napa Valley winery that sells ultra-
premium Cabernets for more than $100 a bottle with a portion bottled with
screwcaps. Many New Zealand wineries also have switched from cork to
screwcap and NZ winemakers have created a trade group designed to tout the
benefits of screwcap use.
winemakers who need to quickly establish
their reputation if they’re going to be
successful. Andrew Vingiello’s first
release will be a 2003 Pinot Noir made
from grapes grown in California's Santa
Lucia Highlands and released under the A.
P. Vin label. Vingiello is bottling his wines
with synthetic corks. “I feel that synthetic
corks put the winemaker more in tune with
the consumer,” Vingiello said. “I am
basically guaranteeing that no consumer
will receive a corked wine.”
manufacturer Pechiney
using the crown cap, which is comparable to the
caps used on most bottles of beer. Marketing
manager Mark Tucker says the move was
practical as well as consistent with the brand’s
image. “It (the crown cap) provides a safer
closure. Secondly, Prosecco is meant to be a
simple, unpretentious approachable wine.
The crown cap reinforces this message."
But not everyone is convinced. Chateau Benoit's
Huffman calls himself a traditionalist and says
he’ll “never switch from natural cork.” “I just love
the sensation of removing the cork,” Huffman
says. “I realize there will be spoilage, but the
tradition and benefits are worth it.”
properly the way a natural cork does. He is counting on cork manufacturers to
decrease the impact of cork taint through science and better technology. Huffman
visited Portugal this summer to visit the world’s leading cork manufacturers. He
says they’re making improvements which should reduce cork taint to just one to
three percent over the next few years.
So how should consumers deal with the issues of cork taint and artificial
closures? It’s clear that young-drinking wines aren’t harmed by using non-natural
corks and the chances of cork taint are significantly less. The presence of a
screwcap or synthetic closure should not scare you off if you aren’t planning to
cellar a wine for an extended period.
But the jury is still out on non-natural corks for investment wines. And few
wineries have used such closures on their high end wines to date, so your
choices are pretty limited.
I’d love to know what you think. Email me with your thoughts.
