1.   Actually, using synthetic corks in wines to be aged is a comparatively minor issue.

2.   But bottles stoppered with synthetic corks can be stored standing up, on their sides or even upside down.

3.   In August, Wine Business Monthly, a trade publication, noted that some wineries have had leakage problems with synthetic corks, particularly one called Cellukork.

4.   Incidentally, synthetic corks are not biodegradable like the real ones, but they are eminently recyclable.

5.   It was a synthetic cork made, Mr. Montalieu said, from the same material used in artificial heart valves.

6.   Synthetic corks are not new.

7.   There are other types of synthetic corks out there.

8.   More and more synthetic corks are being yanked from wine bottles these days.

9.   Some in the industry have turned to synthetic corks, which are rarely associated with taint but can be difficult to get out of the bottle.