Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/347498
What Needs to be Protected? Wines have their own signatures. A fake can be immediately detected by analysis. However, this requires the bottle to be opened in order to take a sample. The ad- dition of markers is not helpful and is unaccept- able to the majority of wine producers. These procedures are also complex and costly to implement. Furthermore, only large wine companies have the means to implement such expert techniques. Hot and cold laser engraving techniques enable bottles to be identified by unit or batch. The glass itself is difficult to authenticate since manufacturing processes are relatively standard, and irregularities in the material produce only slight variations. In the case of the bottle, it is necessary to raise the problem of refilling. The container (bottle) indeed appears to be all the more important since the technique of refilling empty bottles is the method of choice for counterfeit- ers, particularly in China. Traceability expert Jean-Michel Loubry says the average resale price for an empty Lafite Grand Cru bottle could be as high as $450. Chinese criminal groups have actually set up networks for the recovery of bottles, corks and any associated packaging. The Container This feature cannot be protected except by means of a tamperproofing device, because it is not destroyed when it is opened. Text by Eric Przyswa; design by Barbara Summer There are two ways of securing the capsule: by incorporating an authenticator in it (secure marking, taggants, etc.), or by attaching a seal to it (label, "horse branding" etc.) It should be noted that many attempts at com- plex "mechanical" seals have been counterfeited: The future of capsule protection depends above all on the insertion of digital technology into the security system. There are many visible or invisible techniques in existence for the pur- pose of protecting a paper or other printed medium. Some of these are carried out upstream of the bottling chain at the printing facil- ity; others require an action on the chain itself. A first level of dif- ficulty presented to the counterfeiter is the use of printing tech- niques involv- ing specific ex- pertise or tools: embossing, microprinting, microperfora- tion, inks or dyes having particular characteristics, etc. A second level could be the addition of visible and coded or invisible information. This information is integrated into tradi- tional printing processes. The natural cork stopper is a hetero- geneous and fragile structure that is difficult to mark. Synthetic stoppers are easier to mark, but they enjoy a less pres- tigious image than natural cork stoppers. In the realm of counterfeiting, any marking on the recoverable elements— even those linked to one another—is ineffective. The solution is then to protect an element that will be affected by the action of uncorking the bottle; this is usually the capsule, which must be destroyed in order to access the cork. Here, too, there are various forms of seal in existence ranging from the "fiscal stamp" on paper to labels that incorporate several technologies or even several materials. These devices are designed to detect the replacement of a capsule that was destroyed in order to open the bottle. Dyes or inks adding elements of design may be protected. It should be noted that the materials used to make these items are tin, aluminum or PVC, and this may result in restrictions on the use of certain protection technologies. Spirits bottles are often sealed using retractable PVC sleeves. Some suppliers of these sleeves incorporate security elements. Individual Carton, Box or Case The Closure The Capsule, Coiffe or Sleeve The Wine The Front & Back Labels W i n e s & V i n e s A U G U s T 2 0 1 4 39 T e c H n o L o G Y