Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/543749
46 WINES&VINES August 2015 PACKAGING PRODUCT FOCUS Screwcaps With Variable OTR Several suppliers now offer screwcaps with liners that allow varying rates of oxygen permeability. By Andrew Adams VINPERFECT The first company to offer screwcap closures with oxygen transmission rate (OTR) vari- ability, Napa, Calif.-based Vin- Perfect offers three different liners that range from light, with an OTR of 0.00015 cubic centi- meters (cc) of O 2 per day, to medium at 0.0003 cc and me- dium plus at 0.0007 cc. Founder Tim Keller told Wines & Vines that VinPerfect's Smartcaps are the only closures on the market with a liner that is permeable across its entire width. This pro- vides for a more consistent OTR, because there is little risk of the shape of the bottle or capping process compromising the liner. vinperfect.com GUALA In 2014 the Italian firm Guala Closures Group, which has a facility in Fairfield, Calif., un- veiled its range of screwcaps with different oxygen-permeabil- ity rates. The caps use Oenoseal liners that also were developed by MGJ. Guala offers the ONYX, with an OTR of less than 0.0005 cc O 2 per day, IVORY at less than 0.002 cc, and the CORAL, which is designed for wines that require a more significant supply of oxygen, with an OTR of less than 0.008 cc per day. gualaclosures.com GSEAL Modesto, Calif.-based G3 re- cently released its GTWIST line of closures with GSEAL liners. The company offers three liners with a low OTR of 0.0002 cc of oxygen per day, medium at 0.0004 cc and high at 0.0045 cc. John Cunningham, director of innovation and process improve- ment at G3, said the company had been developing screwcaps with variable OTRs for years and submitted its first U.S. patent application in December 2012. G3's GSEAL line includes three U.S. patent-pending liners as well as the traditional Saranex and tin-Saran liners. According to G3's research, the OTR of a liner is primarily controlled by gas diffusion perpendicular to the liner's edge; G3 assembled its liners to provide a consistent OTR based on this path. g3enterprises.com STELVIN INSIDE Amcor, which supplies screwcaps to the U.S. wine industry from its location in American Canyon, Calif., launched its Stelvin Inside liners at the 2013 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. The com- pany partnered with French liner manufacturer MGJ to de- velop the liners while Amcor developed the films. According to Amcor, the development pro- cess consisted of 12 thorough validation tests ranging from microscopic thickness analysis and general specification control to organoleptic and storage studies. The company offers a line of four different screwcaps with liners that cover a range of OTRs. The Stelvin 1O2 has an OTR of less than 0.0005 ppm O 2 per day, 3O2 is 0.0005 ppm, 5O2 is 0.005 ppm, and 7O2 is 0.05 ppm. amcor.com Stelvin Inside Guala Oenoseal G3's GTWIST cap with a GSEAL liner VinPerfect