Wines & Vines

PACKAGING SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION For more information about SYNTEK, email: contact@syntek.fr, phone: (33) 04 68 84 89 80, or online at www.syntek.fr. The SYNTEK facility in Rivesaltes, France has 8 extrusion lines, 6 injection molding lines, 10 offset printers, and can produce up to a billion closures per year. SYNTEK injected closures include: • I-Tek series • One-Tek SYNTEK extruded closures include: • NuKorc Optima series • NuStoppa The I-Tek series are polyethylene (PE) injected closures offering consistent and measurable oxygen transfer rates (OTR) for winemaker's designs of wine style and bottle aging. Coatings are a combination of food-safe paraffin/ Teflon/silicone that provides good sealing and extraction, and the closures come in a wide range of colors. NuKorc mono-extruded closures offer consistency of production and cellular composition, in a range of lengths from 37 to 42mm. Extrusion is a thermo-mechanical manufacturing process in which several types of polyethylene are mixed, and fused at different stages of temperature. SYNTEK assembles the raw materials from carefully selected products chosen to suit a winemaking environment, to allow wines to retain their character as each winemaker expects. The material is extruded to form a ring. The skin of the closure is then formed in contact with the water at the entrance of the cooling tanks. The rod is cut at the desired length, forming the cap. It is then chamfered (ridged on the edges) to allow smooth insertion during bottling, easy of removal by the wine consumer, and also easy reinsertion into an open bottle if the consumer desires. Before being shipped, the closures can be customized with offset printing (up to 2-colors) and UV drying –SYNTEK can print text, logos, and more complex images onto the closures. Easy to apply and extract, with low oxygen transfer rates, the NuKorcs have enjoyed worldwide popularity since their introduction in Australia more than a decade ago. Materials undergo vigorous quality controls at SYNTEK's inhouse laborator y, including organoleptic inspection, humidity monitoring, measuring the expanding agent's viscosity to ensure conformity and even cell structure inside the closure. Every incoming materials batch is registered for traceability. Operators of injection and extrusion machines at SYNTEK inspect the closures being produced every two hours, measuring length, diameter, weight, shape and density, cutting closures in half for visual inspection of the internal foam bubble structure, and measuring chamber size. Further inspections are completed at the press and after printing on the closures (if printing is ordered by a client), at and after surface treatment of the closures, and during the packing and shipping process. A technician collects and records the traceable elements for each shipment to ensure upstream, downstream and crosscompany traceability for all closure materials, and a sample of 12 closures from each order is held at the plant for any post-order needs or double-checking. The company is dedicated to protecting the authenticity and quality of wine and the contents of each bottle. Continuing its innovations, the most recent developments at the company are the NuStoppa, a synthetic stopper with a cap, and NuSpark, an injection-molded closure which SYNTEK is developing for sparkling wines. What makes SYNTEK different? Its technical expertise. SYNTEK's goal is to be the leader in the synthetic closure industry, offering a complete range of products, supported by excellent technical experience in extrusion and injection technologies. Winery clients include Les Grands Chais de France, Gabriel Meffre, Moselland, Anne de Joyeuse, Cave de Turckheim Alsace, Val D'Orbieu, Georges Duboeuf, Carrefour, Castel and Sieur d'Arques. And with the current location of the plant at easy distance from Spain and Mediterranean shipping lanes, SYNTEK is poised to deliver fine quality closures anywhere in the world, to exact winemaker specifications. Wherever flavors, aromas and tastes need to be preserved, SYNTEK provides technical solutions with no technological or geographic limits. • Win es & Vin es AU GU ST 20 13 29

• Cover