Fascinating TV program on BBC2 at 8pm tonight.
An exploration of the use and abuse of cork.
Every time we weigh up which bottle of wine to buy, we hold the fate of nightingales, rare black storks, secretive wild cats and one of the world's most remarkable trees in our hands. Cork producer and wildlife enthusiast, Francisco Garrett explains what will be lost if cork stoppers are replaced by plastic or screwtops.
2 comments:
Ooh, this subject makes me so mad! Why do we have to lose the cork forests because we want untainted wine? In Britain, farmers are now being paid to preserve the landscape rather than produce crops or livestock. I can only assume that this is an EU idea, so why the hell can't they pay the Portuguese farmers to do the same? The trees obviously need to be managed - even if they were just left the ecosystem would be altered. Wine critics who bang on about the "romance" of pulling a cork from a bottle can't have opened many tainted wines (either that or they haven't got the nose or palate to spot it!)
Hi Katie, thanks for your comments.
I must admit that I thought the TV program was very average. It hardly gave any explanation for TCA and cork taint. It just said that they have tidied up their act and it won't happen again! The program was very beautiful but lacking substance.
I agree that the damage and frustration of 'corked' wine is a nightmare and that screw cap closures are very efficient and seem to eradicate major problems.
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