“Cork taint”: TCA is in 1 out of 3 bottles, revealed data from the Cork Quality Council

One of a wine lover’s recurring “nightmares” is opening a bottle of wine, even a fine wine, and experiencing “cork taint”. The consequence, as far as wine is concerned, is an evening to forget, or which can only be saved if there is an alternative bottle of equal value on hand. In a restaurant, obviously, the problem can be easily remedied, but less so when we’re at home with invited guests. In spite of all the technological progress over all of these years, cork taint is still one of the main sources of sensory alteration in wine. The culprit, as is widely known, is TCA (2, 4, 6 - trichloroanisole), a molecule that compromises the consumer experience even at very low concentrations. According to the Cork Quality Council, TCA is found in approximately one out of every three bottles, and in 95% of cases its origin can be traced back to the cork. Recently, a study by Tofwerk and the University of Padua, conducted on 2.969 corks, revealed that 5.4% had TCA concentration greater than or equal to 0.5 nanograms per liter, which is sufficient to compromise a sparkling wine, while 2.2% had more than 1 nanogram per liter, which can alter the sensory perception even in still wines. Some wine categories are especially sensitive to TCA contamination. For instance, sparkling wines, which have an extremely low detection threshold at around 0.5 ng/L, and also No-Low wines, those at low or no alcohol content, similar to aqueous solutions, have a perception threshold as low as 0.03 ng/L, making them sensitive to even infinitesimal traces. Besides generating musty or wet cardboard aromas, TCA also masks the wine’s original aromas, compromising the aromatic profile, even at concentrations below the established threshold. “The TCA problem is far from being solved. It still compromises the consumer experience and the producers’ image. In a No-Low wine or a sparkling wine, the slightest aromatic alteration is immediately perceptible. It is essential, therefore, that choosing what type of closing a bottle should have takes into account these often underestimated characteristics”, Romain Thomas, Product Manager at Vinventions, said. Vinventions offers innovative and sustainable cork solutions. In 1999 it launched NOMACORC, a range of flush stoppers designed to guarantee the absence of TCA, and also a composition that completely eliminates cork to offer sensorial neutrality and protect aromas over time. Furthermore, it takes environmental considerations into account as well. Nomacorc Ocean, for instance, is made of plastic recovered from the oceans. It was chosen, among others, by an iconic Piedmont winery, La Scolca, for its “Cortegaia, a fresh and modern white wine, at just 9.5% alcohol”, Roberto Lazzaro, Director of the company, said.