WI

Corks are still preferred over screw-caps as most popular type of closures of wine bottles in the US, according to new Closures Report USA by Wine Intelligence.

In the US, around two thirds of regular wine drinkers still prefer corks over screw-caps, with only two out of ten preferring to buy wine with screw-caps.

However screw-cap closures are widely accepted by the UK and Australian wine industry.

One reason for the US consumers preference to cork is that less than 40% of the US drinkers consume wine once a month compared to 70% in the UK and Australia, and majority of them consider popping a cork of wine bottle as part of a ceremony.

This does not deny the fact that many Americans still buy wines with screw-caps, as found out in a recent survey conducted by Wine Intelligence, where more than one third of regular wine drinkers purchased wines with screw-caps in the preceding four weeks.

Over the past five years, however, the percentage of Americans liking screw-caps has risen from 19% to 22%.

The report found that US consumers treat wines with natural corks as higher value product compared to wines with screw-caps.

Image: Screw-caps for closing wine bottles give tough competition to corks in the US. Photo: Wine Intelligence Ltd