chloroanisoles, group of compounds responsible, in most instances, for the musty odour of corked wine and one of which, tca, was the first identified as contributing to the problem. The formation of chloroanisoles in cork bark comes about in a stepwise process involving as the final step the methylation of chlorophenols by microorganisms. It is the earlier steps, i.e. those leading to the formation of the chlorophenols, which continue to elude understanding. It appears that the chlorophenolic precursors have multiple origins, including, among other possibilities, formation during chlorine bleaching of cork bark, the use of organochlorine biocides on cork trees in the forests, and perhaps even direct biosynthesis in cork tissue. Even though chlorophenol fungicides have been banned in Europe since 1995, chlorophenols are very stable and still present in groundwater. Until the diverse origins of chlorophenols in cork bark are fully understood, the elimination of chloroanisoles, and hence their contribution to cork taint, will remain a significant problem in cork production.
