I am often asked about the difference between a corked wine and one with an aluminum screw cap. I would start by saying that I prefer to open a corked bottle, not only because of the ritual involved, but also because the natural cork allows micro-oxygenation inside the bottle, which is essential for the preservation of wines for cellaring. Wines that are made for quick consumption do not need this oxygenation and can be corked with a synthetic or aluminum cork.
However, there are different types of corks and the ideal is the one-piece natural cork stopper (from the bark of the tree); there are other variants such as the colmated, agglomerated or screw cork, among others. A natural cork can allow a bottle to retain its properties for 30 years or more. In addition, TCA, a composition that adheres to the cork when there are bad conditions of humidity and high temperatures that affect the wine, has been reduced over time thanks to technology.
Finally, I would say to the environmentalists that cork is a protective layer of the cork oak, composed of dead and hollow cells that regenerates to protect the stem of the tree. That is to say that the cork oak is not cut down to produce cork, only its "dead" bark is removed, which grows back without affecting the tree. The use of natural corks also allows the increase of forest surfaces, while the substitution by other components generates the opposite, in addition to the production and increase of polluting materials on our planet.
