LeDomduVin: Cracked Wine Cork

Cracked Wine Cork

Cracked Wine Cork on a 2013 vintage presenting fissures/cracks and mold  - LeDomduVin ©

Recently, I came across some bottles of 2013 vintage, coming directly from Bordeaux, presenting fissures/cracks and mold under the capsule, while no sign of mold or humidity could be found on the bottles or even the cases. As it is not normal, a few questions came to mind: 

1. Why the fissures or cracks on the cork? 

It is a young vintage (2013), recently bottled (2015), and therefore, the cork should be in excellent condition. So why the fissures/cracks? 

A. Bad Quality Cork

Nowadays, finding bad-quality cork is quite rare as quality controls at the factories and sampling by the buyers prior to final selection are more rigorous and consistent than before. However, it can still happen, and surprisingly, more often than we think.

One of the main reasons is (in my opinion) due to supply and demand.

Out of the 195 recognized independent countries worldwide, over 72 countries were producing their own wines as of 2014 (see the map below for reference and related Wikipedia article), compared to less than 50 only about 30 years ago. Some people even refer to about 120 wine-producing countries at present, but those at the bottom of the list are marginals; only the top 40 are major players in terms of production.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article and the map below do not show some countries that have also produced wine (for decades, for some of them), such as India, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and a few more.  

World Wine Producing Countries Map as of 2013 - Data from FAOUN 

Although a trend for plastic corks and screw capsules developed in the late 90s and 2000s after a major crisis of tainted cork (*), the 2010s saw the comeback of real cork due to its natural and environment-friendly benefits.

"The improvement in cork quality, the problems associated with artificial closures, and the unwavering consumer preference for cork stoppers are increasingly the key decision-making factors for wineries to choose cork stoppers and not the so-called alternative products. 

In the market benchmark of the USA, a study carried out by A.C. Nielsen between 2010 and 2012 confirmed an increase of 26% in sales and 23% in revenue from wines sealed with cork stoppers - against a decline of 12% and 7% respectively, for artificial closures. According to the study, 61% of the 100 top premium wine brands use cork stoppers. The study focused on the main brands priced above 6 dollars (4 euros), which shows that the choice of cork is increasingly broader and competitive, against artificial closures." Extracted from the famous cork producer "Amorim" website (read more here)

(*) Back in the late 80s and early to mid 90s, many renown wineries in Bordeaux (and other regions of France and the rest of the world) were found with a major problem of tainted cork (or cork taint, often referred to as TCA, resulting in "corked" wine) occurring due to either chlorine based chemicals used to clean/bleach/disinfect the cork, thus imparting the cork quality, and/or poor cellar hygiene.

TCA stands for 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, a powerful chemical compound, which cause musty aromas and flavors in wines. The compound forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mold. It most frequently occurs in natural corks (TCA can even form on tree bark), transferring it to the wine in the bottle. But also can originate

• At the cork factories, where chlorine based bleaching/disinfecting products are (or were especially in the 80s and 90s) used to treat the cork as part of its production. 

• In wineries, where damp surfaces and chlorine-based cleaning products are (or were) commonplaces. Phenols can be found in barrels, wooden pallets, wood beams and cardboard. If not rapidly detected TCA can spread and eventually taint the wines via contaminated corks. 

However, while cork quality has improved drastically over the last 15 years, as wine producing countries rise, so does the supply and thus the demand, generating a major problem in the production and supply of cork, and consequently its quality. The main factor being the increase of cork harvests and diminution of time between the harvests.

Cork Oak trees (Quercus Suber) found predominantly in Portugal and Spain, and the northwestern part of Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), must at least be 25 years of age (or 60cm minimum in diameter) for the bark to be harvested the first time, The first harvest not producing quality cork, the cork is usually sold for other uses than wine cork (flooring, shoes, insulation, fire retardant materials, etc,..). Subsequent harvests are now occurring every 8-9 years, compared to the needed 12-13 years to obtain optimal quality. Consequently, nowadays cork are somewhat less resistant  

B. Storage Conditions

The cork may have dried out due to bad storage conditions right after bottling while stored at the Chateau (property), a Negociant's warehouse, or any other facilities that may not be well adapted or designed to keep wines in an ideal environment and climate. (Personally, I have seen and experienced many wines being very badly stored in my 25-year career as a Sommelier-Wine Buyer, sometimes even at prestigious Chateaux and renowned Negociants.. but this could be the subject of another post). 

Bad storage conditions usually involve:

Bad Storage Conditions	Effects on cork (label and wine)
Lack of Humidity	The ideal Humidity level is between 65 and 75%, below 60%, the cork will easily dry out above 80%, the label will get damaged, and mold could form on the label and cork under the capsule
Too much ventilation	A cellar should be well-ventilated, but not to the point of drying out the air
Non LED lighting	Heat usually emanates from non-LED lights and dry out the air, too, if left on too long
High Temperatures	Ideal level being 11-13°C up to 15°C maximum, anything above 16°C is too warm, and anything above 21°C for more than just a few hours could rapidly damage the wine
Temperature and Humidity fluctuations	It can have a direct effect on the cork (also label and most certainly the wine itself)

        

C. Shipping Conditions

If the cork had not deteriorated during storage before shipping, it could have dried out during transportation due to bad shipping conditions.  

For example, suppose the container was not reefer, and the wine was shipped during hot weather. In that case, a non-refrigerated container can get really hot inside during the journey to the final destination, which could last for several weeks. External conditions such as heat from sun exposure, as well as temperature differences throughout the journey, definitely can affect the cork and impact the wine. (e.g., as per www.SeaRates.com, shipping time between "Le Havre, France" and "Hong Kong" takes about a month). 

Screenshot of www.SeaRates.com Le Havre, France to Hong Kong

This list is non-exhaustive, and other factors may affect the cork quality, depending on the environment and the quality of place of storage, such as chemicals, mold, and even termites or other insects in places where untreated wood might be affected (e.g., wood beam in old cellars, firewood, etc...).  

However, I just wanted to list a few of these factors.  I hope this helps you better understand some of the reasons why and how some of the bad corks you may occasionally encounter ended up in such a bad state.  

Cheers! Sante! 

Dom 

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