May 2006
London. The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) is advocating to revise the definition of ‘corked’ in the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary so that cork can no longer be cited as the only cause of faulty wine.
The OED currently defines ‘corked’ as “(wine) impaired by defective cork.” Wine exhibiting signs of mouldy taint are usually found to have traces of TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisol) within it. TCA is an innocuous chemical compound frequently found in bottled water, wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, food and packaged food products and in cork. Wine with screwcap and synthetic closures can also exhibit signs of musty taint. With the cork industry’s successful efforts to improve the quality of cork in recent years, natural cork closures are decreasingly responsible for tainted wine. APCOR has been submitting evidence and background information to support these claims so to amend the OED entry up to an acceptable up-to-date standard.
“Consumers already prefer natural cork over other wine closures. If we can change the definition of ‘corked,’ the association between cork and tainted wine could potentially be removed altogether,” said Elisa Pedro, Communications Director of APCOR.
Founded in 1956, APCOR promotes the development of the Portuguese cork industry. APCOR is also commited to the environmental issues and works tirelessly through research and development to ensure future generations can enjoy the benefits of natural cork.
For further information contact:
Grasshopper
Hugh Taylor
Tel. + 020 7349 3030
Email. hugh@grasshopper.uk.com
