Cork Lifespan

[Lopes Pinheiro]

Hello Dear Port enthusiasts.

How long does a cork last?

Wine producers replace the corks every 20 or 30 years in the vintage wines they have stored.

How do wine enthusiasts usually deal with this issue?

Do they replace the corks, running the almost certain risk that the bottle can no longer be sold, or do corks generally last much longer than 30 years?

[Lucas S]

"How long does a cork last?"

I remember reading old threads and the consensus was that it takes about 40 years for a Port cork to be saturated.

"How do wine enthusiasts usually deal with this issue?"

We drink.

[Mike J. W.]

Personally I just hope for the best for the bottles in my cellar. I've read about some Port enthusiasts that recork and then wax their bottles, but I think thy are few and far between. I'm unsure if the Producers routinely recork their bottles that they keep in their cellars. That's an interesting question though.

[Eric Menchen]

I have heard of some recorking by producers, but I think those are few and far between.

I brew beer and have a corker, but the only time I've recorked a bottle was when I was travelling and planning to drink the wine immediately upon arrival. Decant off of sediment, re-cork to travel, enjoy sediment free wine upon arrival. While a failed cork is a worry, disturbing things and contamination is a worry too. A leaker is just an excuse to open a bottle.

[Andy Velebil]

Some producers do re-cork their bottles every 20-30 yrs. But keep in mind these are generally meant to be sold at some point. The machines that do this are quite impressive nowadays and do more than just re-cork.

Otherwise, if stored properly corks can last generations without issue. I’ve had bottles with corks well over 100 yrs old that have held up just fine.

[Glenn E.]

I have many bottles of Port in my cellar that are 50+ years old and still have the original corks. I've never heard of a Port producer recorking bottles every 20-30 years... given the longevity of Port, that would be a pretty significant expense.

[Moses Botbol]

The wax and foil are what keeps the saturated corks from falling out. Ask Ferreira on that one.

[Andy Velebil]

The wax and foil are what keeps the saturated corks from falling out. Ask Ferreira on that one.

Hah.

Truth be told, capsules were designed back in the old days when cellars were not as insect and rodent free as they are today. Was to keep said insects and rodents away from destroying the corks and thus contents inside.

[Roy Hersh]

I completely agree with Andy, corks can last for very long periods of time. A half century ... without even trying. That would be equal to 1977 right now, (ok 49 if you want to be technical). But most of us collecting since the early days of this website (2005) and a bunch of us that are older, or began collecting much earlier, have old bottles from the first half of the 1900s. Agree that the typical age of a quality cork used for Vintage Port, should have no problem lasting 3/4 of a century ... or more. I have bottles considerably older than that, not many these days, but have not found them to leak unless improperly stored. It can happen, but it is certainly a rarity and often times from an OWC, (original wooden case) maybe you will find one bottle that has leaked, (as an example ONLY) and the rest of the case is just fine.

I also believe corks from the late 1990s onwards are produced with more exacting standards than prior generations of cork. Not only are there less bottles that leak, there is DEFINITELY a lower propensity for TCA to exist and that has just continued to improve with every new decade. I believe the incidence of cork tainted bottles in the past 10-15 years (of bottlings that took place in that time frame ... Porto or otherwise) is drastically lower than at any previous time in history.

I haven't been to cork production facilities since Covid, but used to go nearly every year since 2015. In May, I have plans to go back again, to see if there have been any new innovations or solutions found to improve the overall shelf life or quality of corks.

[Andy Velebil]

I completely agree with Andy, corks can last for very long periods of time. A half century ... without even trying. That would be equal to 1977 right now, (ok 49 if you want to be technical). But most of us collecting since the early days of this website (2005) and a bunch of us that are older, or began collecting much earlier, have old bottles from the first half of the 1900s. Agree that the typical age of a quality cork used for Vintage Port, should have no problem lasting 3/4 of a century ... or more. I have bottles considerably older than that, not many these days, but have not found them to leak unless improperly stored. It can happen, but it is certainly a rarity and often times from an OWC, (original wooden case) maybe you will find one bottle that has leaked, (as an example ONLY) and the rest of the case is just fine.

I also believe corks from the late 1990s onwards are produced with more exacting standards than prior generations of cork. Not only are there less bottles that leak, there is DEFINITELY a lower propensity for TCA to exist and that has just continued to improve with every new decade. I believe the incidence of cork tainted bottles in the past 10-15 years (of bottlings that took place in that time frame ... Porto or otherwise) is drastically lower than at any previous time in history.

I haven't been to cork production facilities since Covid, but used to go nearly every year since 2015. In May, I have plans to go back again, to see if there have been any new innovations or solutions found to improve the overall shelf life or quality of corks.

And don’t forget the quality of bottles has drastically improved over the past ~30 years. Bottle necks are now specifically designed to tight tolerances and designs so the cork seals just right.

[Eric Ifune]

Yes, poor condition bottles from decades ago may have poor bottle necks as commonly as poor corks.

[Eric Menchen]

I haven't been to cork production facilities since Covid, but used to go nearly every year since 2015. In May, I have plans to go back again, to see if there have been any new innovations or solutions found to improve the overall shelf life or quality of corks.

Weren't you with us on the Three Regions Tour, 31 Aug 2021, when we toured Amorim? (One could say that was still during Covid, since we were taking tests left and right.) I have some pictures from the outside there, but they prohibited us from taking pictures indoors because they want to keep their new innovations secret.