Why cork’s fastest growth market should surprise

Tuesday, 28 May, 2019

thedrinksbusiness.com, Patrick Schmitt

The fastest growth market for cork stoppers in the past 12 months should surprise those in the wine trade, says Amorim’s Carlos de Jesus.

During a discussion with the drinks business at the London Wine Fair on Monday, Carlos, who heads up marketing and communications for Amorim – which is the world’s largest producer of cork stoppers – said that the growth rates for cork are coming from areas those in the trade might least expect.

Considering figures for Amorim, he told db that the fastest growth market for the past 18 months has been Australia, which he explained, is surprising because it is a wine-producing nation better known for using predominantly screwcaps to seal its bottles.

While admitting that such growth for cork was “off a smaller base than we would like”, he added that the increase was a positive sign for the cork industry.