I was recently given a couple bottles of wine with the Zork closure. This got me thinking about how we romanticize the whole process of opening a wine bottle. As a wine enthusiast, I must admit that I’m guilty as well. There’s so much tradition and grace in opening a bottle of wine with a corkscrew. Sometimes, the anticipation makes the wine better! However, we’re starting to see several different wine bottle closures appearing on the commercial market. This is a good sign as using natural cork does come at a pretty high cost. Various reports have indicated cork taint (presence of the chemical Trichloroanisole, TCA) to be as high as 7%, although the general consensus is closer to 1%. Despite our technology and advancement in synthetic materials, we have yet to find the perfect replacement for the cork.
I have to say the Zork makes sense to me. No need for a corkscrew (who hasn’t been stuck with a bottle and no opener?) AND no more concerns about cork taint! My guests loved that it still made the ‘pop’ sound (something you won’t get with a screw top) we all associate with uncorking wine, and some thought that those with wrist issues or arthritis would find it easier than trying to mess with a corkscrew. In addition, it’s easy to reseal, is recyclable and tamper proof. It does solve many of the problems with regular cork!
Companies making new wine bottle closures should capitalize on the new wave of wine drinkers in Asia. They are less familiar with corkscrews and will not miss it. However, I do wonder how wine will age with it. Several guests also commented that it wasn’t very attractive looking. Luckily, I took a peek at Zork’s website and it looks like they have a line of snazzy tops in the pipeline.
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