Natural corked wines attract an average of £3.28 per bottle in the UK over those sealed with a screw cap in the On Trade channel, recent research reveals (wines that are consumed in the establishment where they are purchased) and £3.04 per bottle on those sealed with a screw cap in the Off Trade channel (wines that are consumed outside the establishment where they are purchased). 

Value that natural cork brings 

Where trade

Good news for the cork industry: wine closed with a natural cork rose from £17,931 in 2020 to £19,13 in 2021, an increase in value of 6,69%; while wines sealed with a screw cap saw a smaller increase - from £2.99% to £15.39 in 2020 to £15.85 in 2021.

The spokesperson of the CGA, which has edited the report, Mark Newton, assesses: "This suggests that the desirability of natural cork wines has remained firm after the great upheavals in premises and categories resulting from the Covid crisis during the last two years. However, it will take more time for volume and value sales to reach anywhere near pre-Covid levels.” 

Off Trade

According to recent data from Nielsen, wine closed with a natural cork also continues to increase in price abroad compared to wine closed with a screw cap, averaging £3.04 more per bottle. 

The research shows an increase in value of 29% for wines closed with natural cork compared to an increase in value of 10% for wines closed with screw cap over the past four years. The average price of a bottle of wine sealed with natural cork is £9.13 (2021) against £7.05 (2017) and screw cap is £6.09 (2021) against 5, £53 (2017). 

Consumers choose natural cork for a more sustainable lifestyle 

Looking to the future and the post-Covid era, the outlook is bright natural cork leather, especially with changing consumer behavior. The CGA report revealed that 77% of wine consumers are actively trying to lead environmentally friendly lifestyles and, as spokesman Mark Newton continues: “The desire to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle environment has never been as prominent as it is now. Through our extensive research into trade trends, we've seen an increase in the desire to show greener credentials that is driving interest in sustainable drinks and packaging, including wines sealed with natural cork. 

While it is clear that consumers are generally drinking less but of better quality, there is also a growing appetite to experiment and explore more esoteric styles of wine that are more likely to be closed with natural cork.”