The preference for natural cork as a wine closure in the United States has been underlined with the release of two new studies as well as the outstanding success of a cork-sealed New Zealand wine in this major market.

Leading US trade publication ‘Wine Business Monthly’ again highlighted the positive perceptions of natural cork among US wineries in its 2009 Closure Report.

The publication says its survey of 229 US wineries, published in the June edition, shows that natural cork remains the highest rated closure in terms of ‘overall perceptions’.

The best ‘overall’ rating was achieved by natural cork’s top ranking in several categories including consumer acceptance, performance on the bottling line and product performance.

With consumer acceptance an important consideration for US wineries, it is clear that companies exporting to the US also need to consider American consumers’ preference for cork when developing their packaging strategies for this market — and some are doing so with excellent results.

A New Zealand wine recently became the best selling sauvignon blanc in the United States with the use of a natural cork closure seen as a major factor in the wine’s sales success.

As reported by Decanter.com, the company had packaged the brand specifically for the US consumer by sealing the wine under cork, a move that meant going against the screwcap trend in New Zealand.

Several studies published over the last five years have highlighted US consumers’ preference for natural cork as a wine seal.

A recent consumer perceptions study by Nelson Barber, Christopher Taylor and Tim Dodd of the Texas Tech University titled ‘Twisting Tradition: Consumers’ Behavior Toward Alternative Closures’, suggests that 71 per cent of US consumers prefer natural cork closures.

In a presentation on the study the researchers said that “packaging can be of considerable value as a competitive marketing strategy” and that the “style of closure adds directly to the look of the product and is considered by consumers as a direct reflection of the quality of the wine”.

They suggested “consumers still consider screwcaps to be an indication of cheap wines and cork an indication of quality”.

This study indicates little has changed in terms of US consumer perceptions since a survey in 2005 by Tragon Corporation showed that US consumers prefer to buy wine sealed with natural cork ahead of all other closure types.

ReCORK America, a wine cork recycling program developed by Amorim, has received another boost to its rapid growth with an agreement to recycle used wine corks at American Airlines’ Admirals Club locations throughout the US.

Admirals Club has partnered with ReCORK America and Sodexo (the airlines club services management vendor) to begin the environment-friendly program.

This initiative — offered in the 24 domestic Admirals Club lounges in the US as well as its San Juan site in Puerto Rico — will recycle natural corks used by the clubs as well as corks brought in by customers.

The corks will be turned into items such as shoe soles or flooring. ReCORK America recently shipped seven tonnes of cork to a footwear manufacturer in Canada.

“We are pleased to work with ReCORK America to recycle and reuse products that would normally be thrown away,” said Admirals Club president Nancy Knipp.

“Even small items such as wine corks, when recycled, can make a big difference to our environment.”

ReCORK America has attracted strong interest in the US with extensive media coverage including an NBC story on the partnership with American Airlines.

As a result, the program has grown dramatically since its inception two years ago and has now recovered over three million corks.

“About 13 billion natural cork wine stoppers are produced for the global wine industry each year,” said Teresa Relogio, program coordinator for ReCORK America.

“Amorim’s program is designed to turn as many of those corks as possible into useful products.