"Synthetic wine corks:
a trend towards the future"

November 1 , 2001

By Christina Kelly
Avalon Staff Writer

The taste of the wine might be a little off, but there is nothing to indicate a corked wine, so the consumer assumes it isn't good and makes a mental note not to purchase the same bottle again.

That is the fear of many winemakers who believe the "off" flavors or lack of distinctiveness, in some cases, is due to a subtle cork taint muting the fruit aroma and flavor.

According to a study from the Department of Enology and Viticulture at U.C. Davis, about 5 percent of the wine produced in the United States contains cork taint, or trichloroanisole (TCA). TCA is caused when microorganisms in the natural cork combine with chemical contaminants used in the production process to kill bacteria.

It can range from a subtle "off" flavoring to an odor that smells like a damp cellar, mildew or wet cardboard. Regardless of the origin, price or brand, all wines are susceptible.

Wine insiders say the industry is losing an estimated $100 million annually in the U.S. alone, due to TCA problems. The problem could be in the billions of dollars world-wide.

More importantly, winemakers are worried that the average consumer will not recognize a bottle with a slight taint of TCA and will avoid the product in the future.

Artificial corks to the Rescue?

To combat the problem, several alternatives to bark cork are available. As with any change in a traditional market, response has been favorable but slow.

The largest producer of synthetic or artificial cork is Supreme Corq, Inc. of Kent, WA. Company president and CEO Robert Anderson said the synthetic corks are a neutral product that "doesn't add any flavors or scalp from the wine."

"A synthetic cork still preserves the traditional ritual of removing a cork," said Anderson. "However, there is no chance of TCA with a synthetic closure. This is changing the wine industry. We're changing the industry.

Synthetic corks are just one alternative. The agglomerate cork, known as an "agglo" was originally developed as a closure for Champagne and sparkling wine. It uses pieces or granules of clean, natural cork bound together with a chemical binder and sometimes a thin disc of natural cork stuck on the contact end of the wine.

Sabate USA manufactures the "Altec" or non-agglomerate cork, produced by removing a major part of the lignin/wood content that harbors TCA and replacing it with synthetic cells rather than bonded to cork granules with resin. But Van Duzer Winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley has filed a lawsuit against the French firm, claiming that Sabate's Altec stopper ruined 1,200 cases of 1999 chardonnay with a retail value of more than $250,000. The wine was contaminated with TCA.

The lawsuit was filed last month in Napa Superior Court. Sabate is negotiating with Van Duzer and several California wineries, but according to an article in the Wine spectator, owner Carl Thoma said the pace of the talks was simply too slow.

Van Duzer is now using Supreme Corq's synthetic stoppers for its white wines, and a high-grade natural cork for its Pinot Noirs.

Another newcomer to synthetic corks is Oregon's Chehalem Vineyards. Owner Harry Peterson-Nedry said he is using Supreme Corq stoppers in his Willamette Valley Pinot Gris and reserved Pinot Gris and some of his Chardonnay.

His experience so far is good and he continues to perform trials and tests with the artificial corks to see how well wines age before he uses the stoppers in his Pinot Noirs.

"We have a terrible situation with TCA right now and it doesn't show signs of improving," Peterson-Nedry said. "So far, I've been totally satisfied with the synthetic cork. The only question I have is age-ability. That will take time to test. With enough data, we will continue to march down the road."

Until questions are answered about aging red wines with synthetic corks, Peterson-Nedry said he will "stay with the evil he already knows," until he and other winemakers have enough information about the long-term affects of artificial corks.

At Columbia Winery in Washington State, Bruce Watson, quality control manager, said synthetic corks are the future of the industry. Columbia uses some Supreme Corq stoppers in its white wines.

"Everybody is waiting to see what the long-term tests show for synthetic stoppers," Watson said. "Right now, we're counting on about two years. But we're going to be cautious before we make changes in closing our red wines.

"I believe the industry, as a whole, will go towards synthetic corks. Bark cork right now is a quality control nightmare."

Supreme Corq's answer to the question of aging red wines is a product called "Preservera." Product information on the new cork claims it forms a near perfect seal to eliminate leakage and evaporation and will not support bacteria growth.

"We've been testing Preservera internally for over three years with excellent results," Anderson said. "Through technology, we can improve on the natural characteristics of our current product and also that of tree-bark cork. Like all product evolution, synthetic corks will continue to innovate to eliminate undesirable performance characteristics and give wine makers and ultimately consumers a better product."

Someone Has to Pay for Corked Wines

Anderson said the loss from bark cork hits at many levels. Someone, be it the producer, distributor, restaurateur or consumer has to absorb the replacement cost of corked wine. In addition, bark cork dries out with age, even when bottles are stored horizontally to keep the corks moist. Dried corks shrink, causing some leakage and allowing enough oxygen to potentially spoil the wine.

Supreme Corq's stoppers are made from a high-grade thermoplastic elastomer, used in biomedical equipment such as heart valves, syringes and medical tubing. Anderson said the stoppers seal immediately and won't crumble or break.

"Although there are many-20 to 30-global producers of synthetic corks, all are not created equal," Anderson said. "Many use inferior base materials that do not have the elastomeric properties or printing adhesion characteristics of Supreme Corq."

The price for synthetic versus cork bark can be enticing, Anderson said. Wineries pay about 10 to 12-cents for a Supreme Corq stopper. Tree cork comes in five different grades and range in price between 4-cents for the low-grade cork, up to 50-cents for high-grade tree cork.

Anderson also points to the shortage of tree cork, adding that it is a finite resource.

Articulate and passionate about preserving wine, Anderson spent years in the industry, working for E & J Gallo (the world's largest producer of wine) and United Distillers and Vintners. He has 20 years of consumer marketing and wine and beverage industry experience. He believes the synthetic cork is the most significant development in the beverage industry in years. His assertion is backed by a recent Wine Spectator survey.

Synthetic corks have a few quirks. Extraction of the synthetic stopper can sometimes be difficult. The seal is hard to break on occasion. And, Anderson admits there are questions about how well wine will age with an artificial closure. But, he says the questions are being researched and the synthetic cork, Preservera, has shown good results.

"This is a relatively new industry and we don't have all the answers right now," Anderson said. "Like everyone else, we're also looking down the road."

In spite of all the advances in technologies, wine industry experts say changing to artificial corks may be a marketing problem, like returning to screw tops (which are also free of TCA). Consumers think of plastic, if they look at all, and it becomes an image problem. Some fear that the artificial corks will impart an undesirable taste to the wine. (Artificial cork suppliers say it isn't true). Screw tops are associated with low-quality, cheap wine-an image acknowledged by the wine industry.

Those using artificial stoppers place them in wines for short-term consumption, usually in a year, and mostly with white wine. According to industry experts, 90 percent of all wine is consumed within a year of release and often within 24 hours of purchase.

Cork Industry Working on Problems

Producers of tree cork acknowledge TCA problems, (although dispute the percentage of corked wines) and say things are improving. According to an article in Wines & Vines Magazine, cork producers are harvesting bark from higher up on the trees and avoiding chlorine washes which helps reduce the amount of TCA in wine corks. New coating technology is being developed and more money has been invested in research of the problem.

And, cork producers say they are putting much more attention on quality control than ever before.

"I'm absolutely sure that, with all the research that's going on, the cork industry will solve the TCA problem," said one cork producer. "I think this will happen within the next three years."

Winemaking is an industry steeped in tradition. Winemakers once thought that cork was essential for long-term aging to bring a wine to maturity, rounding out tannins and even imparting a hint of flavor, such as cherry, to the wine.

But Anderson said cork is unpredictable.

"What a cork may impart in one bottle may not show up in another," he said. "It is impossible to know or predict."

Winemaker Tom Mackey, with California's St. Francis Winery, agrees. He said cork's task is to keep wine in a bottle-an impermeable barrier to keep the wine in and the oxygen out. Most winemakers are not banking on cork adding any flavors to the wine.

"If they get a little extra flavor that is positive, that's great," said Anderson. "Unfortunately, that isn't usually what they're getting."

Many large producers of wine offer to replace aging corks on bottles older than 15 years. Penfolds, of Australia, holds workshops where consumers can bring in old bottles of wine, have the corks replaced, and even get a small sip to see how the wine is aging.

Supreme Corq wants a part of that action and Anderson believes his company will get there in time. A small firm in the Northwest with the biggest share of the synthetic cork market, Anderson said the mission of Supreme Corq is to capture a healthy chuck of the world's market.

Wineries up and down the West Coast, and the world, are watching to see what happens.

So, the next time you open a bottle of good wine, don't be surprised if the cork is blue, green, orange or purple. It's not the wine. And, given a good marketing opportunity, don't be surprised if you see advertising on the artificial corks.

"Why not?" Anderson says with a smile.

.