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May 2015 WINES&VINES 49 PACKAGING C hoice is a good thing…isn't it? While some might argue that the ever-in- creasing quantity of wine styles, blends and points of origin confuse consum- ers, hard data demonstrate that the U.S. wine market just keeps growing. In the aftermath of the recession, higher priced wines have recovered market share. Wine packaging suppliers continue to bring in new developments feeding niche markets, notably bag-in-box and single-serve options. The vast majority of premium wines still reach consum- ers in glass bottles, and most of them continue to be sealed with traditional natural cork and capsules. New Zealand's winemakers over- whelmingly embraced screwcap clo- sures, joined to a lesser extent by Australian vintners and European experimenters. Relatively recently, U.S.-produced premium wineries have begun adopting screwcaps and syn- thetic stoppers—largely without fan- fare or consumer resistance. Napa's PlumpJack Winery, founded in 1995, was a notable exception, an experimenter that paved the way by brashly promoting its wines with screwcap closures. PlumpJack now sells some 10,000 cases per year, at an average $90 per bottle. Many Plump- Jack bottlings, including half its Cab- ernet Sauvignon Reserve and half of its Chardonnay bottles, are topped Unconventional Toppers for Top- shelf Wines KEY POINTS Despite more choices, two suppliers dominate the alternative closure market. A more sophisticated base of consumers has learned to accept alternative closures, and resistance has diminished in the marketplace. Women, who comprise the largest segment of wine buyers, appreciate screwcaps, which require less wrist-strength than cork closures. Winemakers like the ability to regu- late wine aging via their closures. Producers of $20-$99 wines explain why they chose alternative closures By Jane Firstenfeld