Comments on: The Natural Philosophy of Cork, A Green Business

By: Admin, Ken Payton

Admin, Ken Payton — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:26:49 +0000

You are very welcome, Anabela. I am familiar with your company, Cork Supply. And what I have said of Amorim may also be said of Cork Supply. Both companies work very hard on the preservation of a way of life, promote sustainable practices and are always refining quality control. The battle for cork is worth fighting! Keep up the good work.

By: Anabela Pearson

Anabela Pearson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:16:11 +0000

Thank you for such an interesting article, as usual, Ken. Although I work for a competitor of Amorim, I appreciate any effort anyone makes in promoting natural cork and explaining the cork process.

By: Admin, Ken Payton

Admin, Ken Payton — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:01:58 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Rob. Amorim has indeed published research on this matter. Here is a summation. Cheers.

By: Admin, Ken Payton

Admin, Ken Payton — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:52:03 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Robert. Cork has experienced an increase in market share over the past few years. And Portugal is a bit less than ‘half-way across the planet’. Indeed, following the ‘carbon footprint’ argument to its logical conclusion, all tasting rooms would be shuttered tomorrow, wine tourism would end, all wine imports/exports would cease, and we’d be buying wines from markets only within walking distance. The cork vs. screwcap carbon footprint issue is perhaps the least of our worries.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:46:35 +0000

I wonder if using screw caps has less of a carbon footprint (or overall environmental footprint) than shipping cork from Portugal. The bauxite to make the aluminum probably came from Australia, Africa or South America. And aluminum processing uses a vast amount of electricity. I would bet that if a full LCA was done, corks would still prove to be much more environmentally sustainable than screw caps, regardless of shipping. I believe Amorim has done one, or had one done, and it is available on their website somewhere.

By: Robert Morey

Robert Morey — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:49:17 +0000

Perhaps it’s too little, too late. Many people lost faith in cork in the 1990’s which, in turn, allowed screwcaps and synthetics to make significant in-roads. Why would wineries want to go back to cork if their current, non-cork closures are acceptable to the public? Without a huge groundswell from the public, I don’t see that happening.
It is worth mentioning that, although cork is green, transporting it halfway across the planet isn’t. The carbon footprint on cork is typically much greater than that of screwcaps made in California.
For my red wines, I still use corks, because of tradition, but always conduct my own trials due to the fact that there are still some disreputable companies on the market peddling bad corks. For whites, I now use screwcaps. So far, no complaints from any of our customers…
Robert