Plastic wine stoppers are preferred by some due to their resistance to cork odor and contamination, but wine experts believe that natural cork is better for aging. Cork trees are not in danger of running out, and using cork for aged wines is recommended. Plastic stoppers are recyclable, but over-reliance on them could harm cork tree populations. A balance between plastic and natural cork is recommended.
Currently, plastic wine stoppers are used to cork wine more regularly. Those who use them point to several advantages plastic has over cork harvested from trees. The most frequent reasons given are that plastic is not vulnerable to cork odor and therefore better protects the wine. Additionally, some manufacturers cite a shortage of cork available for use.
The first reason to use plastic wine corks is undisputed. Plastic caps are not subject to cap contamination. They’re also easier to get out of a wine bottle since they don’t disintegrate. However, most wine experts believe that wine closed with plastic does not age like natural corks. Plastic allows for less air exchange and therefore the wine does not benefit from maturation.
Most wine experts believe wine with plastic wine stoppers is fine as long as you plan to consume the wine quickly. However, they believe that regular cork should be used for wines that are expected to be stored. Unfortunately, stored wines are much more prone to cork contamination, as plastic advocates are quick to point out. Since the stain may not be visible, wines that are not good can be stored.
Using plastic wine stoppers to address the shortage of cork trees is another moot point. Currently, cork trees in Portugal’s forests would provide enough cork for 100 years of wine production. A cork tree is not killed when the cork is harvested, making it an environmentally friendly process.
The plastic caps are recyclable. However, many fear that increased reliance on plastics could make cork trees yet another casualty of societal advances. Cork trees can lose their purpose and therefore their life if all winemakers switch to other corking methods. On the other hand, excessive dependence on harvested corks could create an ultimate shortfall in the cork supply if more trees are not planted.
It would seem that the happy medium might be the use of plastic wine stoppers for wines intended to be bought and consumed immediately. Winemakers could therefore choose cork from cork trees for wines that should be kept for a few years before drinking. This does not completely eliminate concerns about cork contamination, but this problem tends to occur in a very small percentage of stored wines, and is therefore likely to be only an occasional problem.
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