Listed below are several Q/A on Cork and TCA but the one I was interested in
was as follows:


Q: Can wine be affected by TCA only through the cork?

A: No. TCA is often referred to as cork taint; this wrongly suggests the
cork is the sole cause of TCA. However, TCA can be found in bottled water,
wine bottled with screw caps, beer, spirits, soft drink, packaged food
products and even raisins. TCA in wine may be due to:

a.. Contaminated oak barrels or corks
b.. Contaminated winery machinery or bottling equipment
c.. Airborne moulds in the winery environs
d.. Moulds in transport containers or the home cellar





Q: Why use cork as a wine closure?

A: Cork is a unique substance and a long-proven closure for wine. No other
stopper combines cork's inert nature, impermeability to liquids,
flexibility, sealing ability and resilience. Being a natural product, cork
is also environmentally friendly, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable.
Cork manufacturers such as Amorim combine cork's natural qualities with the
latest technology to produce an ideal stopper for wine.



Q: Are all corks the same?

A: No. Wine corks are graded by quality in up to seven categories. The
quality depends on the raw material used and the production processes
adopted by the manufacturer. There are also different corks for fortified,
sparkling and still wines.



Q: What are cork manufacturers doing to improve the quality of their
product?

A: The cork industry and individual producers are striving to achieve the
highest standards. Amorim invests about US$ 6 million a year in research &
development to help fulfill its quality commitment to the wine trade. The
company's top R&D priority is to eliminate 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) from
its wine corks.



Q: What guarantee does the winemaker have that the wine will reach the
consumer in peak condition?

A: Industry standards are set out in the European Cork Federation's Code of
Good Manufacturing Practice. The Portuguese Cork Industry Association has
adopted a program, Cork 2000, to help individual producers comply with the
standards. An independent auditor will assess producers for accreditation
under the scheme. Winemakers buying from an accredited producer can be
confident in the quality of the cork they purchase. Amorim's high standards
set the benchmark for the Code.



Q: As a winemaker, does it matter which manufacturer or supplier I buy my
wine corks from?

A: Yes. As in all manufacturing sectors each cork producer uses its own
methods. At Amorim only tried and tested procedures are employed and only
the most modern equipment and technology are used in processing the cork.
Systematic and detailed laboratory tests are conducted throughout
production.

All the products used in Amorim's manufacturing process meet the most
demanding international standards for quality, safety and contact with human
food, including those of the Food and Drug Administration in the US.

Amorim & Irmaos, the largest producer in the Amorim Group, is the only
fully-integrated cork producer to have achieved ISO 9002 accreditation for
all stages of the production process.



Q: If I buy good-quality corks from a reputable supplier, will that ensure
the corks will always perform as required?

A: Amorim's manufacturing procedures ensure the quality of its product on
dispatch to the winemaker. However, after receiving the corks, winemakers
need to handle them carefully to ensure they remain in peak condition. Care
also needs to to be taken in the transporting of corks to avoid
contamination and maintain the correct humidity.

Amorim provides guidelines on ordering, storing and handling of corks.



Q: What is the incidence of cork taint?

A: 'Cork taint' is a misnomer - cork itself does not affect the wine but
the cork may become contaminated with TCA, a worldwide pollution affecting
many food and beverage products, and this may migrate into the wine, causing
taint.

There is no definitive research that accurately determines the incidence of
cork-related taint, although oenological studies suggest that 2-5% of wines
are affected by some sort of taint, of which cork taint is one factor.

Random sensory testing of Amorim corks in 1997 revealed that from a sample
of 24,000 corks fewer than half a percentage point (0.48%) were defective.
Amorim's goal is to reduce this number to zero.



Q: Can wine be affected by TCA only through the cork?

A: No. TCA is often referred to as cork taint; this wrongly suggests the
cork is the sole cause of TCA. However, TCA can be found in bottled water,
wine bottled with screw caps, beer, spirits, soft drink, packaged food
products and even raisins. TCA in wine may be due to:

a.. Contaminated oak barrels or corks
b.. Contaminated winery machinery or bottling equipment
c.. Airborne moulds in the winery environs
d.. Moulds in transport containers or the home cellar


My reading up on TCA issues I find that TCA is NOT only from the
cork....supported by a leading cork producer Anorim.



Q: Is all wine spoilage caused by TCA?

A: No. There are no definitive figures on TCA contamination. TCA is only
one type of wine spoilage. Some types of wine spoilage that are sometimes
wrongly identified as cork taint.



Q: Is it true that cork taint is caused by the widespread use of pesticides
in the 1950s and 60s?

A: Some researchers believe the historical use of pesticides containing
compounds such as pentachlorophenol may be contrbuting to the TCA problem.
However, these chemicals have not been used for maintenance of the cork
forests for many years. Amorim has purchasing records going back 40 years to
help it identify where the best quality cork comes from. Amorim's
manufacturing process is designed to thoroughly clean cork of all
contaminants.

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