APCOR, the Portuguese Cork Association, recently announced that it is to fund research into cork taint to the tune of €2.5million (US$2.3million).
With increasing numbers of winemakers – especially New World white wine producers – turning to alternative bottle closures, such as Stelvin and screwcap, the cork manufacturers’ search for an antidote to the problems caused by TCA has never been so urgent.
The research will focus on five key areas: the life cycle of natural cork stoppers, natural cork’s stabilisation period, the link between natural cork and the maturation process of wine, new developments in the industry, and new processes that may help to eradicate TCA.
The director of APCOR’s International Campaign for Cork, Francisco de Brito Evangelista, claims, ‘This initiative demonstrates clearly, and for the first time, that we are dedicating the appropriate resources to finding a solution to TCA in natural cork stoppers.’
The research, which will be conducted by independent institutions is to take place over the course of the next two years.
Written by Natasha Hughes23 May 2002
