It’s all because there is a BIG problem with real or natural corks. This problem is caused by tiny molds that thrive inside the cork in moist conditions. These molds live in the bark before it is harvested. Being the bark of a tree, the cork needs extensive cleaning before it can be used as a wine bottle stopper. Soaking the cork in a very strong chlorine solution normally does this cleaning. The chlorine reacts with a naturally occurring phenol in the cork to produce something called trichlorophenol. It turns out that the cork mold thrives on this trichlorophenol and converts it into chloroanisoles. These stinky little things are technically called 2,4,6, Trichloroanisoles -- “ TCA “ for short. They are detectable by smell at 2 or 3 parts per trillion and contaminate the wine in the bottle. A bottle of wine that has been contaminated with TCA is referred to as “corked.” So you can understand how frustrating it can be for a winery to spend months or years producing a wine only to have it ruined by a piece of tree bark. Alternative ways to clean the corks are being explored as are alternatives to corks altogether.

Screwtops, also called by their brand name “ Stelvin,” are one alternative to cork stoppers that are gaining widespread use. They are most commonly found on white wines, although red wines under screwtops are beginning to come out. For whites, it makes sense as 99% of all white wines in the world are meant to be drunk within 1 or 2 years of bottling. They are not meant to age. Red wines, on the other hand, are generally better 5 to 10 years after bottling. The cork stopper is essential to good bottle ageing. Cork is porous and the pores are small enough to be watertight (or winetight ) but not totally airtight. Tiny bits of air seep in and out of the bottle, helping the wine develop complexity. Screwtops don’t do that, so wines don’t develop or change very much, which, once again, is fine for white wine.

“Corked” wines are everywhere. Experts in the wine industry estimate that approximately 10% of all wine is affected with TCA tainted cork. A worse problem is most people don’t recognize it and think the winery made terrible wine when that is not the case. The wine was fine before a bad cork touched it. Also, cork taint is not “all or nothing.” It can range from barely detectable to wretchedly intense. One can’t tell by looking, either. Only the nose or mouth can tell. The smell or taste is hard to describe. Some people say “wet newspaper.” For me, it is a dank, moldy, mildewy kind of odor. It is certainly an unpleasant component in wine. If there is ever any question about a wine being corked, it probably is.

At Centennial, we will readily replace a bottle of “corked” or TCA tainted wine purchased from one of our stores. Simply return the bottle, with the corked wine in it, and we will exchange it for another bottle. Don’t be turned off from a winery because you had a corked bottle. It happens to EVERYONE—even the most prestigious and expensive wines. No winemaker makes wine that stinks. If a wine has a really “off” odor, something is wrong and it probably came from the cork.