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Cork stoppers are now recognized as an excellent oenological tool for great sparkling wines, ensuring perfect maturation, greater aromatic complexity, finer effervescence and less oxidation.

The world’s best winemakers prove it. Science backs it up. And consumers recognize it. From Champagne to prestigious sparkling wines, these wines are better with cork tirage stoppers, and the superiority of this method leaves no room for doubt. Freshness, youthfulness, aromatic complexity, perfect effervescence with finer, tighter bubbles: these are some of the characteristics that wines reveal after undergoing a tirage process with cork, at the end of a maturation process that is as complex as it is exciting, requiring time and dedication, and culminating in an explosion of magic.

FLAWLESS MATURATION

Launched by Amorim Cork in 2016, after eight years of research in collaboration with some of the world’s finest wineries, Spark Top II NDtech® Tirage was specially designed to ensure a perfect maturation process, capable of withstanding high pressures of up to 10 Bar, combining mechanical performance, perfect chemistry and high sensory quality. With two natural cork discs in contact with the wine, this stopper is designed to ensure safe maturation on lees over the years.

Ernesto Pereira, product manager for sparkling wines involved in the development process for Amorim Cork’s tirage cork stoppers since the beginning in 2009, explains: “The challenge was mainly twofold: preserving the gas (CO2) and creating a stopper that did not cause sensory deviations. So, we had to rethink everything. This work involved the forestry area and Champcork (the unit that produces stoppers for sparkling wines), so it was a joint effort. And that’s how Amorim tirage cork was born”. The feedback was not immediate. “Wine takes time,” recalls Ernesto, and the producers’ impressions were also slow to arrive. After five years of testing, the producers finally gave their opinion, and it was overwhelming: “the project we delivered to them was so groundbreaking that they started buying cork stoppers only from Amorim,” concludes the product manager.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND CORK

Several studies undertaken in partnership with dozens of sparkling wine producers have revealed that tirage made using cork stoppers produces a distinct taste profile that is often less oxidative than that obtained with crown caps. According to Francisco Campos, R&D manager for sparkling wines at Amorim Cork, the difference in behaviour between a cork and a capsule is due to the behaviour of oxygen, which is completely different. In the case of the capsule, oxygen enters in a continuous rising line. However, cork eventually stabilizes, allowing just a minuscule quantity of oxygen to enter. In other words, the capsule will allow the wine to oxidize and turn dark over time, until it is visible to the naked eye.”

When cork stoppers were compared to crown caps after 24 months of ageing, it became clear that wines with cork stoppers had greater aromatic intensity and quality, less bitterness, more fruity aromas, and lower oxidation. The bubbles are finer, the aromatic range is greater, and sensory deviations are covered thanks to NDtech® technology. Blind sensory tests comparing sparkling wine sealed with Amorim’ tirage stopper and with crown caps were conducted in a technical seminar given by Amorim France in Champagne in 2024, attended by 68 professionals from the region. The findings were clear: after only 15 months of ageing, 78% of participants preferred wines with cork tirage, highlighting their superior aromatic profile and mouthfeel.

Francisco Campos describes the subtle chemistry he discovers in each research and explains the scientific foundation for the discrepancies. Tirage cork stoppers are an oenological tool that, when paired with knowledge and experience, guarantees that each wine reaches its full potential and exhibits a distinct personality, shaped by oenologists using what nature provides.

SPARKLING WINES WITH IDENTITY

The alliance between cork stoppers and sparkling wines is historic, as demonstrated by the close connection between Champagne, glass bottles, and cork stoppers. Traditionally, tirage—the second fermentation stage in the bottle, where carbon dioxide forms and aromatic compounds develop—was done with cork stoppers. However, with the mechanisation of many processes, crown caps gained ground. Today, we are witnessing a return to tirage with cork stoppers, a solution endorsed by the world’s best sparkling wine producers: from France to Spain, from Italy to South Africa, and, of course, Portugal.

Marta Lourenço, Murganheira’s oenologist, has extensive experience using cork tirage cork stoppers and has no doubt: “We tested 300 bottles with tirage stoppers. We didn’t notice any major differences for a while,” she recalls, “but seven years later, we tasted the wines again and were absolutely blown away.” The oenologist at this Portuguese winery, where all wines are organically produced, emphasizes the important role of tirage cork stoppers for aged wines. The same wine, at the same temperature conditions, with constant humidity, evolves completely differently depending on the tirage method. “The difference is tremendous. After ten years, sparkling wine that has been tiraged with a cork stopper retains a freshness and youthfulness that makes it seem like the wine is two years old. It’s incredible. Not to mention all the aromatic elements brought by cork. “The bottle and the closure are the most important factors in preserving what we create with such care, affection, and dedication,” she concludes.

“Our goal is for each producer to be able to create wines with identity, in their terroir, shaped by winemakers. Cork stoppers really do impart freshness and complexity, taking wine to a different level that crown caps can never offer,” emphasizes Ernesto Pereira. 

The return of the cork stopper to the tirage of sparkling wines is a choice proven by science, tradition, and the recognition of the world’s leading producers. Compared to crown caps, cork ensures a more balanced ageing process, preserving the freshness, aromatic complexity and elegance of the bubbles, providing a unique and prolonged sensory evolution. With innovations such as NDtech® technology and oenological knowledge, the tirage cork becomes a true tool that enhances the identity of each wine and respects its true nature. In this way, cork maintains its prominent place in the production of excellent sparkling wines, reaffirming itself as a symbol of quality, authenticity and wine passion.