But the cork industry is not about to cede any ground without a fight. Market research company AMR:Quantum Harris has released results of a survey of 350 regular drinkers of bottled wine on Australia’s mainland which according to managing director Simon McCall revealed a ‘really strong consumer preference for natural cork’. According to those surveyed, not only might plastic corks may affect the taste of wine (very unlikely, I think), they are not environmentally friendly (mmm, dunno!) and that they imply that wine is cheap (definitely). ‘There’s a big educational job ahead for the makers of synthetic corks’, McCall told OnWine.
