Wine producers in China are increasingly replacing the traditional corks with more practical and cheaper screw caps, according to Guala Closures Group China operations general manager Enrico Perlo.
In 2011, the Italy-based company had sold over 1.2 billion screw caps, an increase of 50% compared to the last year.
Perlo told europe.chinadaily.com that the reason for shifting is because oak tree takes 12 years to grow.
Moreover, a recent study by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture showed that 45% of all corks leaked unwanted gas into the wine.
Perlo told the website, "A wine (bottle) closed with a screw cap was definitely in better shape than the one closed with cork."
"It was fresher with more of its fruit. Screw caps will be the final solution to wine producers," he added.
