Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/498427
58 WINES&VINES May 2015 PACKAGING mercadercorkusa.com info@mercadercorkusa.com T. (707) 395 4765 701 Healdsburg Ave. - Healdsburg CA, 95448 USA Supplies and the market have evolved, Cox said. "Over time, the quality of synthetics has continued to improve and weaker companies were weeded out. I think people have had good experiences with synthetics as well as screw- caps and other closures, and (they) realize that the quality of the wine is key." We "have all had wines horribly affected by taint and can appreciate knowing that this bottle won't be," he said. Cox would like to see continued research on long-term aging under synthetic stoppers. "Early synthetics did not have enough of a shelf life, as the OTRs were just too high. I wouldn't feel comfortable with a white more than 24 months post bottling and a red after about 36," he said. "These days it is much longer. How much lon- ger I can't say—we're still aging them." Eberle Winery in Paso Robles, Calif., uses Nomacorc closures for all of its wines. Founder Gary Eberle, considered the "godfather of Paso wines," recently received the 2015 Wine Life- time Achievement Award from the California State Fair. Concerned with cork taint and oxygen man- agement, winemaker Ben Mayo made the origi- nal decision to use Nomacorc 12 years ago. He felt Nomacorc had the best technology to help him manage both factors. Eberle Winery's average retail price for its wines is $25, and Nomacorc is used for the entire portfolio. Different densities are used for different wines. Red wine uses a tighter Nomacorc, while the whites use a more porous cell structure. "As other types of closures have become more mainstream, acceptance among distribu- tors, retailers, restaurateurs and consumers has grown," publicist Stacie Jacob commented. "Education and a greater understanding of its benefits has made Nomacorc more acceptable and trusted." Today's better educated clientele now ac- cepts alternative closures, she added. "Eberle customers like to age their wines, and Noma- corc provides a solution for Eberle consumers to accept and trust the quality product deliv- ered in each bottle." Eberle produces about 26,000 cases annually and sells about 50% DtC. The rest is distributed in 34 states and six countries. The opportunity to trial and employ varied closure options demands attention from both winemakers and marketing specialists. When it comes to selecting among the options, plan ahead and look for that happy balance of price, consistency, application ease, appear- ance and market acceptance to achieve a for- mula that fits your wines and keeps your audience satisfied. Eberle has been using Nomacorc for a dozen years. When it comes to select- ing among the options, plan ahead and look for that happy balance of price, consistency, appli- cation ease, appearance and market acceptance.