Why corks are popping once more

Cork-makers are feeling buoyant as the wine industry turns away from screw-top bottles and back to traditional corks

Corks are on the way back, as 70% of winemakers favour them over screw-tops or plastic stoppers. Photograph: Andrew Mccaul/Getty Images

Forget screw-caps, the old-fashioned cork is making a comeback. This week, as the wine industry gathers at Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine fair in Bordeaux, traditional cork-makers are feeling buoyant.

"Today, 70% of winemakers have chosen cork over screw-caps or plastic wine stoppers," says Carlos de Jesus, head of communication at Amorim, the world's biggest cork producer.

So why the sudden comeback? Are consumers increasingly associating screw-caps with cheap wine? Not according to Valérie Hamon, of the wine retailer Nicolas. Light summer wines are still preferred in screw-cap bottles and, she argues, "cork doesn't always mean quality".

Nonetheless, winemakers from South Africa to California are making the switch back from screw-caps to cork. Proof, according to De Jesus, that cork is back and here to stay.

Origin information: The Guardian