A capping study carried out in laboratory Cork Center of the Catalan Institute of Cork Foundation has found that the 96% of the 100 best quality-price wines in the Guide Peñín 2023 have a cork. The rest has a screw (2%), synthetic cap (1%) and glass cap (1%).

Among the 100 wines referenced in the guide, a 63% are still wines, the 34% sweet, fragrant and generous wines and a 3% are sparkling wines.

Among the still wines, the 98% has a cork, and of these the 77% has a natural cork. It stands out that among the sweet, fragrant and generous wines, the 91% has a cork stopper.

The data were presented this Wednesday, November 29, in an event at the Palau Robert in Barcelona that was attended by the Secretary of Food Carmel Module, which has highlighted the historical link between cork and wine. The president of the Institut Català del Suro foundation also participated, Joan J. Puig, and the director of the foundation, Albert Hereu, who have disseminated information about the study.

The presentation ended with a tasting led by Tony Albiol, best sommelier in Catalonia 2023, who has highlighted the art of uncorking a corked bottle.

Natural cork, synonymous with quality

The average price of the bottles of wine referenced in the list of the 100 best quality-price wines of the Peñín Guide 2023 is €13.4, while those with only natural corks have an average price of €14.9.

In still wine, the average price of bottles is €13.8 and €14.7 if we look only at those with natural caps. €12'8 is the average price of bottles closed with the rest of the caps. So, the value of bottles closed with natural caps is almost €2 higher (15% more).

Joan J. Puig, president of the Institut Català del Suro Foundation, believes that "this study highlights the real weight of the cork stopper in the market and shows that the wineries that produce these reference wines rely on cork to cover and help evolve their products. As indicated by previous studies, corks offer better performance, are associated with quality products and therefore have a higher selling price ".

The conclusions

• The cork stopper is the preferred stopper for wines that are appreciated for their higher quality.
• In still wines, the natural cap is the most appreciated by wineries and consumers.
• The natural cork stopper generates greater economic value and increases the willingness of consumers to buy.

The Institut Català del Suro Foundation

The Institut Català del Suro (ICSuro) is a non-profit, scientific private foundation whose mission is to promote the cork sector.

It has three main lines of action: research and research on the cork and other applications, quality controls of the corks through the Cork Center Laboratory and communication for the dissemination and promotion of the conservation and responsible use of corks .

The Institut Català del Suro was established in 1991 as a public-private consortium and since 2019 it is a private foundation that works to become a world-leading entity in cork research.