But there are also a lot of bad things about cork bottle closures, such as cork taint and the undesirable characteristics that wine can develop through contact with air.

Cork is an impermeable buoyant material. It is the phellem layer of bark tissue which is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the cork oak), which is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance.

Wine corks, however, generally sell for about 10 cents each.

1) Other than wine or beer, what is bottled using corks? - High-end bourbon, quite often. High-end olive oil, on occasion.