Both steeped in tradition and on the cutting edge of technology, the contrasting principles upon which this region refines its products are core to its success. 

With this in mind, which bottle closure should our winemakers be using – cork or screwcaps?

According to Tim Stead, National Sales & Marketing Manager for closure supplier Amorim Australasia, these are the same principles that drive the cork industry. 

“Our product is quintessentially linked to wine. It mirrors all of the passion and romance bestowed in wine whilst providing a nurturing partnership that will optimise its development over time," he said.

"The relationship between cork and wine is one that dates back hundreds of years but just like the wine industry, there’s been a changing of the guard, and today’s corks are products of rigorous processing, tireless research and best practice methodology.”

Which way is Australia going?

Now that many Australian winemakers have switched over to screw caps, you would think that purveyors of cork would be clearing out, but that’s not the case for Amorim. 

“We’re actually quite buoyed at present," Mr Stead said.

"The recent explosion of exports to China, along with the increasingly vocal preference for cork in the US, has reinvigorated Australia’s interest in cork. 

"Wineries which may have previously turned their back on cork have had to reconsider their stance on closures.”

It might surprise many that there remains a large number of wineries in the Barossa which maintain cork closures in their arsenal; including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Orlando, Kaesler, Torbreck, Grant Burge, Chateau Tanunda, Rockford and the list goes on. 

In fact, recently Rusden wines made global news when they about-faced on screw caps completely in order to adopt corks 100 per cent.

Mr Stead is cautiously optimistic about the apparent reinvigorated interest in cork. 

“On a micro level, yes we are seeing a return to cork, but at a macro level this is more of a levelling of demand in Australia. The swing towards screw caps pushed the pendulum too far, creating an illogical imbalance. We are now seeing the market respond to this imbalance. Cork is now a point of difference which carries with it a higher value proposition which intern can command higher prices and an impression of superior quality.”

Cork = green

The cork versus screw cap debate continues as lively as ever, with staunched advocates sitting firmly on their side of the fence. Mr Stead is philosophical, but unapologetically weighs in on the cork side; 

“Cork provides a number of both tangible and intangible benefits to the wine industry. Which can also be said for screw caps. So there is room in the market for both. From a purely technical perspective, there are some wines which, due to the winemaking process, varietal style and different additives (or lack thereof) perform better under cork. 

"For wine intended for long term cellaring cork has proven itself to delivery spectacular results whilst the effect of screw caps is largely unknown and thus far, unimpressive. Another tangible factor is the environmental impact of closures. 

"Cork is by far the ‘greenest’ of closures on the market – hands down. Intangibles include market preferences and expectations, the value proposition of cork and the romance associated with the ‘pop’ of a cork. These are harder to measure, but they cannot be ignored and there are many studies which conclude that they have a big impact on wine sales.”

So, it appears that the challenge facing Barossan wineries today is not simply “which closure is better?” but rather, after considering all the variables and taking into account the latest information,“which closure will deliver the best outcome for the wine and for the customer?”

The answer to that will be different for many.