There are several ways to close a bottle of wine, the first being the traditional cork, then comes the plastic cork and finally the screw cap. But which one is the best and why was the plastic cork and screw cap even invented if the cork is so efficient? Corks are a natural product and have been used in Europe since 1400’s, they are also proven to naturally enable the wine to age without being spoilt. The future for wine is looking extremely promising which would also mean that we need to familiarise ourselves with the future of preserving wine too. It’s worth noting that experts have seen the proportion of wines affected by cork taint fall from 1.2 per cent to 0.8 per cent. However corks can be expensive, are a limited natural resource and as well, not all corks have the same quality. Which is why we now see the screw cap and of course, not to forget the plastic cork. These cheaper alternatives came about in 1964 mostly being used to close new world wines, for example in Australia almost every bottle uses screw cap or a plastic cork. This was frequently due to the cork quality found in such destinations, which was poor meaning that the wine would quickly become tainted; with a screw cap or a plastic cork of course they didn’t have this problem. So what should I choose when buying a bottle of wine? Well, some say that cork will sooner or later disappear. However, the constant improvement in the quality of cork, mean that wineries are tending to stick with it over the alternatives. What’s nice with the cork is that there’s a sense of occasion and tradition when we hear the popping of a cork, something you may not get from simply twisting a cap or removing a plastic cork. So essentially which ever method you prefer and try to focus on the quality of the wine rather than how the bottle is sealed. If you want to know more about wine quality and how to choose a good bottle according to your taste, why not contact Planet Provence and take your thirst for knowledge even further?