Chinese wine lovers are increasingly choosing bottles with corks instead of screw caps, believing the natural product helps them identify fakes from legitimate blends. The trend is particularly pronounced in China, where more than half a billion people drink at least one bottle per year. It also found 85% said a cork stopper influences which wines they buy. Australian and New Zealand winemakers, pioneers of the screw cap, are now having to use cork in eight of every 10 wine bottles they export to China.
Chinese wine lovers are increasingly choosing bottles with corks instead of screw caps, believing the natural product helps them identify fakes from legitimate blends. A survey by China's CTR Market Research found 98.6% of Chinese drinkers prefer natural stoppers, stating that cork is "beneficial". It also found 85% said a cork stopper influences which wines they buy. Australian and New Zealand winemakers, pioneers of the screw cap, are now having to use cork in eight of every 10 wine bottles they export to China.