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Why your wine matters

The UK imports more wine than any other country. Supermarkets and leading off-licences control 85% of the country's take-home wine market. Many of these actively promote artificial closures and, contrary to customer preferences, demand these of their suppliers, exerting a major influence on the global wine market.

Since many New World countries export up to 70% of their wine into the UK, pressure by the UK distributors to use artificial closures can cause a switch away from cork very rapidly. If UK wine sellers promoted real cork, it would contribute significantly to the future of the woodlands and ecosystems that produce these corks.

'The UK's biggest wine retailer is now demanding screw-caps from its suppliers'

Around 13 billion wine corks are made each year. Artificial closures currently make up around 8% of the world wine closures market. In the UK, the percentage is far greater than this - in some shops up to 50%. The UK's biggest wine retailer is now demanding screw-caps from its suppliers, and is aiming to have all wines closed by a screwcap by the end of 2008.

The increasing market share of artificial closures will force down cork prices. Doubling of the current usage of artificial closures is enough to cause a 'crash' in the cork market, which is projected to occur within 10 years.  

This would make cork farming less economical than other activities, such as eucalyptus logging, and would lead to conversion of the cork estates to other land uses.