What does cork for wine mean? I believe there will be many different answers. I use the door to describe it, because the door can block light, sound, smell and temperature, and even if this locks the door, it does not completely block.
A few days ago, the "Save Miguel" TV film created by Amorim, the world's largest cork company, won two awards at the International Grape and Wine Festival - the Best Original Screen Performance Award and the cultural choice nominated by the host city. prize. This short film starring the Hollywood actor Schneider once again stirs up discussions about wine stoppers. Amorim’s Carlos deJesus, who is responsible for marketing and communication, said: “The concept of this short film is to inform consumers about the environmental and economic benefits and advantages of using cork products, especially the positive influence of buying wines using natural cork stoppers. ."
In fact, for many friends who are familiar with wine, cork is commonplace. So many people even said that when cork stoppers were replaced with metal screw caps, many people even thought that it was something so-called experts had nothing to do. They were more true in this small matter. Some people insist that the contradiction between cork stoppers and metal screw caps is a contradiction between culture and business.
Indifferent eleganceMost people open a bottle of wine and pour the wine directly into the cup, see the color of the wine, shake the cup, and smell the wine. In fact, this often overlooks an important part of wine tasting.
When you go to a friend's house abroad to visit, if you want to drink wine, the owner will usually give you a wine bottle, look at the wine label, then open the bottle, check the cork, and then pass the cork to everyone, and then the owner will I dared to give the guests a drink after a small cup tasted.
In fact, the cork stopper can give us a lot of information when tasting wine. Many cork stoppers will be branded, and the branding content is mostly indicative of the year, the place of production, the winery and other information of the bottle, all of which should be consistent with the wine label.
At the same time can also be used as a good judgment of whether the wine is preserved. Normally cork stoppers should be wet at the bottom, and other parts are hard and flexible. If the wine penetrates, it will be clear from the cork stopper. If the cork is too dry, cracked or brittle, this wine may have a record of improper storage. The deterioration of cork stoppers will cause the bottle mouth to fail to seal well. In the event that the air cannot be effectively sealed off, there may be accelerated oxidation or other undesirable changes in the quality of the wine.
Some wine experts suggest that they should also smell the smell of cork stoppers. When smelling sulfur, sour, and earthy, they indicate that the wine has been deteriorating. Cork stoppers, such as floral and fruity notes, indicate that the quality of the wine is normal and can be assured. drink. However, Matt Kramer, a columnist for the American Wine Watcher, disagrees. He said in the Secret of Wine Secrets: “The cork that is in front of your eyes is not for you but for you. Look, you can't know from a cork smell the quality of a bottle of wine, just as you can't tell from the insole the quality of a pair of shoes." But this argument is also absolutely absent, the insole The metaphor is extremely inappropriate. According to the author's experience, if the wine is spoiled, it can be smelled through cork stoppers.
In addition, the length and smoothness of cork stoppers, and the fact that the logs are crushed and processed into polymer plugs, have often become a criterion for judging the quality of the wine. Of course, the popularity of cork stoppers is not only due to its physical goodness. Many people insist that using a professional wine knife to open a bottle of wine neatly is a very handsome action. When the wine stopper is pulled out, The "bang" sound made many people feel enchanted, and even many foreign wine professionals hold this argument. They believe that the cork culture is a very important part of the wine culture. Cork is also an important component of the wine with the elegant word. section. As the famous wine expert Denis said: There are many traditions and habits in history, which may not be the most efficient and cost-effective. However, cultural protection and nostalgia are still preserved in the long-term.
It's just a bark
Say that cork is a bark and there is no problem. This cork oak, which has a history of more than 6,000 years from the Mediterranean coast, is the raw material of cork stoppers and other cork products. It is not bothersome to process cork stoppers from its bark. Cork stoppers are All the advantages that people celebrate are also derived from this bark, which is water-absorbing, highly elastic, and breathable. It can quickly recover its original shape after high pressure. However, the wine stopper made by this bark has been used for thousands of years in the history of wine, which has to be considered.
It is said that when the wine was just born, cork stoppers were used as bottles, dating back to the 5th century BC. At that time, the bottles were not glass, and cork was not the mainstream. People used fire paint or plaster more as stoppers for wine jugs or wine jars, and dripped olive oil on the surface of wine. In medieval times, cork was once completely abandoned. After a long time, cork stoppers were only used by a few brewers.
The cork is popular in the 17th century, but it is still not alone, because at this time another type of glass stopper appeared, and it has a high status as a river. But brewers soon discovered that when a bottle of wine is stored for a long time, the glass bottle stopper can not be opened easily, and there is no choice but to break the bottle. At this time, the cork stopper really dominates the world. There is also a wine opener known as "a steel worm that sucks a cork out of a bottle."
This state of affairs continues to this day, and we can still see that a large number of wines use cork stoppers and can only be opened with a special wine opener. However, if we regard this kind of simmering for centuries as human progress, human beings may not be too small. Maybe the first people only hoped to use cork stoppers to keep wine from leaking, but people gradually discovered that they were using it. The function of cork stoppers is much more than that. In fact, many people think that humans have not found a wine stopper that is more suitable than cork stoppers.
Mixed
In recent years, there has been a growing call for the use of metal screw caps instead of cork stoppers. Many industry experts are constantly discussing. Is this alternative an inevitable trend in history?
This has to do with the imperfections of cork stoppers. Cork deterioration, spoilage and some of its own bacteria can lead to wine contamination. According to SeppiLandmann, an expert in French grape cultivation and winemaking, “Every time I open a bottle of wine, I fear that the wine is no longer the flavor I brewed. I am so scared of the slightest deterioration caused by the cork. Guests want to enjoy the perfect wine, but cork stoppers cannot guarantee this."
In fact, many countries have already tried to abandon the use of cork stoppers. Many countries in Australia, the United States, and New Zealand have begun to use metal screw caps in large quantities. The aircraft wines are basically metal screw caps.
But is cork really imperfect to this extent? If so, there may be no top vintage wines. When people deny a kind of old things, they always compare their shortcomings with the advantages of new things. Compared to the past, the advantages of old things are ignored, and the shortcomings of new things or the resulting damage or regret are only It can be done after the fall.
The author believes that the new metal screw cap may be dominant in terms of cork contamination, but is cork stopper really contaminating José to an unbearable level? It is a fact that the cost of metal screw caps is far lower than the cost of cork stoppers. In this era of fast food, it is obviously not enough to discuss this issue from a technical point of view.
Wine is called breathable wine, and many of the reasons are also from cork stoppers. Because cork stoppers keep a small gap in the door, this wooden gap can absorb wine and make cork. The plug rises to preserve the quality of the wine, and the air can be let in so that the wine can breathe and slowly oxidize and ripen.
Imagine a wine bar without a cork stopper and full of metal screw caps: People no longer need to put wine bottles upside down or store them flat. People no longer use a wine knife to open a bottle of wine. The cork stopper broke into the bottle and was overwhelmed.... People just need to drink Coke as a simple and easy to unscrew to drink, but when I think of this place, the author's feelings are not the convenience of happiness, but also the loss. Is this wine or wine?
The famous wine critic Robert Parker stated in Article 5 of his “12 Prophecies for Future Winesâ€: “Spiral caps will be popular choices. Corks will only be used for longer collections. Wine.†Few people would doubt Parker’s judgment. It seems that this is an inevitable trend of history. Although I believe that even in the field of low-priced wines, metal screw caps still need a long process to replace cork stoppers.
However, Parker's predictions have given a glimmer of hope to those who like cork stoppers or stick to the traditional wine culture. Even in the future, people can still enjoy the elegance that cork stoppers bring to us, but only at a higher price. The cork that used to be obscured everywhere will not think that one day it will become a symbol of high-end wine.
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