Can you imagine a Vega Sicilia 2007, a Pesquera Reserva or a 200 Monges Reserva with a synthetic or screw cap ? At the moment we will not see them in our markets due to the very demands that these types of wines set, although it is already a reality that these stoppers have an increasing presence in the market. Especially in the Anglo-Saxon and American wines, where 3 out of 10 wine bottles have a synthetic or screw cap .
Why the synthetic stopper?
There are many advantages it has compared to cork. From a lower cost in its production - being an industrial and not a natural product - to a certain non-contamination of the wine with flavors, odors or through the TCA fungus.
Synthetic wine stoppers
It was this last reason that led to the appearance of such a peculiar cork back in the 80s. At that time, it was very common for a large part of the wine production to be contaminated by the TCA fungus, spoiling part of the harvest. .
From then on, these stoppers began to be seen in young, fresh and fruity wines or for quick consumption, making the product cheaper, maintaining their properties and avoiding contamination by fungi, unpleasant flavors or odours.
In general terms, the synthetic stopper can be used for any line of wines, however, whether due to wine tradition or the ritual that involves uncorking the wine, smelling the stopper and tasting it, the vast majority associate this type of stoppers with wines. low quality. That is why in Spain, approximately 93% of our bottles have cork stoppers.
But not everything is rosy for the synthetic world, there are many detractors of this material in the wine world, such as the loss of aromas, the possibility of giving the wine certain olfactory characters that are reminiscent of plastic or that give way over time. Therefore, the sealing of the bottle loses effectiveness and there is the possibility of oxygen entering and spoiling the wine.
The vast majority of winemakers agree that the natural cork stopper is an excellent ally for high-end wines, wines for aging, more sophisticated and in need of the properties of natural cork for their evolution.
And if the synthetic stopper maintains the properties of fast-drinking wines, those with natural cork maintain those of premium wines, mainly aged and reserved wines.
As? among other things, facilitating the exchange of oxygen between the wine and the outside world. A way to achieve the necessary evolution of the broth until its consumption. This is why it is recommended to keep the wine bottles horizontal, keeping the cork moist and preventing it from not fulfilling its function when it dries out.