By Megan Krigbaum, Food and Wine

Natural corks are effective, sustainable and even romantic. Here’s why their reputation has been tainted, and why they’re making a comeback.

Natural cork is a sustainable resource: It comes from cork-tree bark, which regenerates every eight to 10 years. Yet natural cork has fallen a bit out of favor over the past 30 years as a growing number of producers switched to synthetic cork or screw caps.

The problem is “cork taint,” contamination with a nasty compound called TCA that can ruin wines that have taken years to make.

In recent years, however, winemakers have come to realize that synthetic cork and screw caps have their own set of issues.

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