Once the choice was simple. People bought one of a few types of natural corks and depending on the wine quality and the anticipated time of its aging in the bottle, they used simple and cheap corks or long and uniform, but at the same time more expensive. However, the latter gave the guaranty that the wine itself will not be damaged.Today the choice is much more difficult. It is possible to use caps, similar to these of beer, in the simplest table wines. They are cheapest closures and at the same time do not transfer undesirable smell. Admittedly they do not allow the wine to age, but liqueurs like that are not suitable for this anyway.Recently, the next very popular type of stopper is a screw-cap. It is very often seen in the New World wines (Australia – Chile) but we can also see it in some European ones (e. g. Austria). The screw-cap is also very cheap and ideally matches wines not designed for long aging. A separate issue is the delight of uncorking the bottle, here totally missing.
The delight of uncorking the bottle can be experienced with silicone corks, which also have quite short history. The same as above stoppers, silicone corks are 100% reliable if it comes to keeping negative smell and possible too high oxygen intake away. Simultaneously, they give the attraction of uncorking a natural stopper. We should not become discouraged against wines closed like this. A silicone cork is much better than a “make-believe” corky one.Exactly such a compacted mass of cork shavings is the most popular stopper nowadays. However, it is possible that a fake material (cork) may badly affect the taste and the bouquet of wine. Today it is more and more common to see corks with endings made from slices of a hewn cork. It is a hewn cork which is the most traditional and at the same time the most expensive stopper used in today’s wines. It guarantees – on condition it is well made – appropriate oxygen intake, which allows best bottles to age properly. However, the number of cork oaks decreases every year and with permanently increasing demand for it, this type of closure can be seen less and less often, usually in wines with high potential of aging.