Alternative wine closures

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Alternative wine closures are substitutes used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures. The emergence of these alternatives have grown in response to quality control efforts by winemakers to protect against "cork taint" caused by the presence of the chemical Trichloroanisole or (TCA). ^[1] ^[2] In March 2006, the Spanish government outlawed the use of alternative wine closures in 11 of Spain's wine producing regions as part of their (Denominacion de Origen) D.O. regulations. ^[3]

1 Synthetic corks
2 Screw caps
3 Vino-Seal
4 Zork
5 Crown caps
6 See also
7 Footnotes
8 Sources

[edit] Synthetic corks

Main article: Synthetic closure

A synthetic cork is designed to look and function like natural cork

Synthetic corks are made from plastic compounds that are design to look and "pop" like natural cork but with no risk of TCA contamination. The US company Supreme Corq is the world's largest producer of synthetic corks.^[4] Disadvantages to synthetic corks include difficulty in extracting them from the bottle and lack of ease in trying to use the plastic cork to reseal the wine.^[5] The Wine Spectator's James Laube notes that they can also impart a slight chemical flavor to the wine. ^[6] Unlike natural corks, many synthetic corks are made from material that is not biodegradable.^[7]

[edit] Screw caps

Main article: Screwcap

Screw caps or "Stelvin caps" are closures made from tin or aluminum material that affixes with threads on the bottleneck. They are the predominant closure used by New Zealand wineries.^[8] This can be attributed in part to the New Zealand screw cap initiative which promotes the use of screw caps instead of cork. Screw caps form a tighter seal and can keep out oxygen for a longer period of time than natural cork. These benefits aid in maintaining the wine's overall quality and aging potential. Michel Laroche of Domaine Laroche noted that this played a role in his decision to start utilizing screwcaps. "Extensive quality tests show convincing results: apart from protecting against cork taint, screwcaps are also beneficial in the ageing of wine, particularly preserving the aromatic freshness." ^[9]

Despite these positives for the wine industry and consumers, a disadvantage of screw caps according to wine expert Jancis Robinson is that "consumers still perceive screwcaps as being for ‘cheap’ wines (regardless of the price tag)."^[10] In a 2004 study of consumer opinions conducted by the wine consulting group Wine Intelligence found that 52% of American consumers reject the idea of using screwcaps for their fine wine. ^[11]

Glass-Stopper compared with corkstopper

[edit] Vino-Seal

Vino-Seal is a plastic/glass closure released by the German aluminum production company Alcoa. Since its introduction into the European market (under the name Vino-Lok) in 2003, over 300 wineries have utilized Vino-Seal. Using a glass stopper with an inert o-ring, the Vino-Seal creates a hermetic seal that prevents oxidation and TCA contamination. A current disadvantage with the Vino-Seal is the relatively high cost of each plug (average 70 cents each) and excess labor in manual bottling due to the current lack of compatible bottling equipment outside of Europe.^[12] The design has won a Worldstar Award for Packing Excellence from the World Packaging Organization.^[13]

[edit] Zork

Zork is a new closure developed in South Australia that aimed to create the "popping" sensation that natural cork has when opening but with quality protection against TCA similar to a screw cap.^[14] Made from recyclable food grade polymers, the Zork enclosure can be removed without the aid of additional tools and can be easily resealed.^[15]

[edit] Crown caps

The traditional crowned bottle cap has been used in the sparkling wine industry as a closure during the bottle fermentation process of the méthode champenoise. Normally the cap is replaced with a cork before its distribution, though recently some producers are releasing wines that use the crown cap as their closure. The crown caps provide a tight seal without the risk of cork-taint ^[16], keeping oxygen out while keeping the bubbles in. Although less intimidating and easier to open correctly, crown caps eliminate part of the ceremony and mystique involved in opening a bottle of sparkling wine. ^[17]