Cork. It’s more than a detail.

While natural cork has been shown to be best for wine, it is also best for the experience of drinking wine, according to an overwhelming number of winemakers and wine drinkers worldwide. This has been shown in numerous surveys taken over many years in countries throughout the world. Most people agree: wine and cork go together, a marriage born of tradition, nature, and culture.

The rituals of opening a bottle of wine elevate even a casual dinner at home into a special occasion. The turning of the corkscrew, the sound of the pop (described as one of the happiest sounds in the world), the slow pour. Beer drinkers often forgo even the glass and drink right out of the bottle; can we imagine the same person drinking wine in that way? Wine drinkers often take the cork home after enjoying a special bottle at a celebration. Does anyone take home the screw cap? The touch, the color, the look of natural cork stimulate the senses and add to the wine drinking experience. Everything about it speaks to nature and purity. After all, it is just tree bark, as much a product of the earth and sun and water and air as the wine it preserves.

All of this means consumers when given the choice prefer a wine sealed with natural cork, and studies have shown that they are willing to pay up to $3 or more extra for it. Does a sommelier want to unscrew a bottle of wine tableside? How many wine merchants have seen a customer put back on the shelf a wine with a screw cap when purchasing a wine for a dinner party or gift?

Natural cork signifies quality: We feel this, and we know this because every survey shows it.