Cork vs. screw cap: A fight with a green twist

updated 4:53 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2007

PORTLAND, Ore. - It's the main event in the battle over how to close a bottle of wine: Cork vs. screw cap.

To some, it's a matter of style. To others, it's an issue of quality. And now, it's a question of what is best for the environment.

Cork was the standard closure for ages. But winemakers began moving to alternatives in the past decade because of problems with cork that were ruining wines. Screw caps became a popular option and are now seen topping many fine wines, such as some bottles from Napa's PlumpJack winery that sell for $100 or more.

But some winemakers and environmental groups are urging wineries to return to basics _ saying cork is the best choice for the environment.

"This is one of those things where something we have done for years that is traditional is actually the sustainable choice," said Jim Bernau, owner and founder of Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner. "How often can you say that for anything we've done in the past 50 to 100 years?"

Cork is a renewable material _ made from the fiber stripped from cork trees that can then regrow. The largest and most profitable use of this harvested cork worldwide is for wine stoppers.

Several environmental groups say the growing popularity of alternatives like screw caps are threatening Mediterranean cork forests, where cork is mainly grown. Cork oak covers about 6.7 million acres in the region and provides income for more than 100,000 people, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Cork forests are predominantly privately owned, which puts them at greater risk for neglect or sale for development if the popularity of cork lessens.

Cork producers say they have seen the overall production of wine stoppers drop in the past decade. And last year, The World Wildlife Fund estimated that if winemakers continue their move away from cork, three-quarters of the western Mediterranean's cork oak forests could be lost within the decade, threatening jobs and ecosystems.

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