BBC 2 TV is broadcasting a controversial documentary on natural cork on 9 December 2008 at 8.00pm:
The cork oak is the only tree in the world whose bark can be periodically removed without killing it. But this tree is amazing in other ways. It survives in poor soil and searing heat and provides not only nesting places for Booted Eagles but also space for some of Europe’s rarest wildflowers. This exquisitely-filmed portrait of the Montados reveals one of the last places in Europe where a sustainable local economy still dovetails harmoniously with nature.
Parts of the wine trade suspect this is just propoganda on behalf of the cork industry, which is struggling in the face of greater acceptance of screwcaps and/or the use of plastic corks which tend to perform better than natural cork, resulting in fewer spoiled bottles. As much as I appreciate the convenience of the screwcap, it does rob the ritual of opening a bottle of wine of some its romance and ocassion.
For more info see www.bbc.co.uk/
OK, so it was really a nature programme, but very simplistic in its approach to the argument between cork and screwcap or plastic closures for wine – no mention of TCA and cork taint.
However, Decanter reports that NASA may have found the answer – see http://www.decanter.com/news/273757.html
According to Decanter (March 2009) screwcaps now represent 15% of global wine bottle closures – see http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=278372