But few of today's imaginative ideas would have made it onto drawing boards without cork's competition from screw-top bottle caps, plastic stoppers and aluminum Tetra Paks.
Ray said doctors often prescribe Z-Paks because the drug only needs to be taken for five days, versus the 10-day periods that are typical with other antibiotics.
Nobody know if the wines will perform to the same standards when packaged in paper or plastic, and neither Tetra Paks nor plastic bottles are as sturdy as glass.