Corking scheme from Sainsbury’s

UK supermarket Sainsbury’s own label wines will all be sealed with corks certified by the Forest Stewardship Council by the end of this year.

The closure changeover will result in six million bottles using FSC-certified cork closures on all wines, including sparkling wines and Champagnes. The first of the supermarket’s Champagnes and sparkling wines will start to be sealed with corks certified by the FSC next month.

The increasing popularity of synthetic closures and screw cap closures has already raised fears about the long-term future of cork oak forests, which in Portugal are home to rare wildlife such as the Iberian lynx.

Sainsbury’s winemaker Barry Dick told The Telegraph last week that natural corks are important for certain types of wine. He added: “Where we use cork, it is important to us to make sure that the harvesting of that cork makes a positive contribution to the wildlife in the area, while at the same time managing traceability, consistency and quality to ensure our wines taste their best."

Thought to be the largest move yet by a single retailer in regard to using FSC corks, the Co-op told The Telegraph last week that it was planning on using FSC-certified corks on about one third of its own label wines this year.

Jane Parkinson, 04.01.10