Will we still be using corks in a hundred years?

The Future of Cork Stoppers: Trends and Customer Confidence

What has the past decade brought to the global wine closure market? What are the current trends and do corks have a future? Here we look at developments and preferences in the closure sector and what factors influence the decisions of winemakers and consumers.

A decade ago, cork held complete dominance in the wine closure market, closing 85 to 90 percent of the world’s wine production. However, confidence in cork closures was eroded by problems with TCA (the “cork off” taste in wine). This led to a rise in demand for “safer” alternatives such as plastic and screw caps.

Over-reliance on cork has caused supply problems and damaged the perception of cork closures, especially among the professional public. However, we now know that the cork itself is not the problem, but rather its poor processing, selection, storage or improper use.

Cork stopper manufacturers faced a challenge when consumer dissatisfaction emerged and alternative closures quickly took over 10% of the market. In response, the cork industry woke up and began to place emphasis on the quality of the stoppers it supplied. Huge investments were made in rigorous TCA detection, laboratory methods and optimization of cork processing processes from the tree itself, through harvesting, production, storage and distribution.

Thanks to these efforts and investments, we can now say that the TCA problem has been solved. Corks certified to contain less than 1-2 ng/l TCA are now supplied as standard and cork has regained its reputation.

According to 2011 data, cork closures are attributed to a 70% share of the total wine closure market. Alternative closures comprise 30% of the market, with screw caps accounting for an estimated 16% and plastic stoppers for the remaining 14% (APCOR database). There are slight variations in the figures reported by different sources, but most confirm the dominance of cork closures with a market share of between 65% and 70%.

The global trend in recent years indicates a decline in plastic closures, a slight decline in screw caps and an annual increase in the share of cork by several percent. This trend is mainly influenced by the big players in the global wine market, of which China has recently stood out. The growing group of Chinese wine consumers is showing a surprising preference for cork closures, which is having a significant impact on Australian and New Zealand producers, who were previously pioneers of screw caps. The use of cork closures is now becoming a condition for entering the Chinese market.

There are currently three main alternatives available on the wine closure market: cork, plastic and screw cap. Winemakers are faced with the decision of which of these options they prefer. Each has its strengths and risks, and the price of the closure is not the only factor that makes a winemaker’s decision. The right choice of closure, taking into account the character and type of wine, plays a key role. It is essential to understand how the wine will develop under a given closure. The same wine can develop differently under different types of closures, and after a few years the differences in tasting can be significant.

But there is another aspect at play that could interest us when choosing the "right" closure. It is the preferences of the end customer, who chooses for himself what wine he buys. Thanks to the results of current consumer research from the USA, Italy, France, Germany and measurements of global wine sales, we can also bring the following very interesting information:

• more than ¾ of customers believe that corked wine is of better quality
• more than ½ of customers are willing to pay a higher price for wine with a cork
• If the wine is intended as a gift or for a special occasion, customers are looking exclusively for a bottle with a cork.
• For the customer, it's not just about consuming a drink, but about a romantic moment, the ritual of opening the cork with a typical sound
• Customers have a positive perception of the natural origin and ecological properties of cork
• Cork-sealed wine brands sell better, do not show stagnation in sales during the economic crisis and are not forced to reduce prices

So how do we answer the question we asked at the beginning? Surveys show that customers clearly prefer cork and cork stoppers help sell quality wines. That's why we believe: yes, cork will still be used for stoppers in a hundred years.