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42 WINES&VINES August 2016 PACKAGING Embrace evolution Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, Calif., is well known for the summer concerts it hosts as well as its wines and packaging. With annual production of about 35,000 cases, and wines retailing at an average $32 per bottle, the winery uses natural cork in different sizes and different styles of screwcap, according to winemaker Kevin Willenborg. With this variation, a mobile bottler can be very helpful. Vina Robles uses SLO Bottlers (a counter-intuitive name, perhaps, but lo- cally significant: SLO is shorthand for San Luis Obispo, Paso's county seat). "I put together all the packaging," Wil- lenborg said. "We use different corks for dif- ferent wines, depending on size and cost: 2-inch corks for ageable wines vs. 1.75 (inches) for less. Our screwcaps and capsules are different types, too, but all are branded, with our VR embossed on the top and spelled out on the skirt." For his Stelvin screwcaps from Amcor, he no longer uses the well-known Saranex liner. "Amcor has new liners. We started trialing them in 2012, with whites and reds to see how they'd age. Sa- ranex transmits oxygen: Maybe a little more than most cork. We think a little oxygen is good for almost all wines. With reds, we want a little more oxygen to diffuse while maturing. Now with Amcor, we've gone to another tech liner. After trialing, we like the 3O 2 . It provides a nice balance for all the wines. It probably breathes slightly less than a really good cork," he said. "Unlike Saranex," he said, the 3O 2 "has no PVDC chlorides. We're being proactive." Vina Robles uses this liner for all its screwcapped whites and its signature Roseum rosé. "We've gravitated toward new tech liners for wine closures. It mimics cork for progress in the aging process," Willenborg said. Despite his interest in technical advances, Willenborg said, Vina Robles does not go shopping for closures too often: "Every five years or so," he estimated. "We use screw- caps—a good closure for sensitive to aromatic white wines. We don't want the closure to infringe on our Sauvignon Blanc. We have no Stock Screwcaps ~15 Colors Available Providing "On Demand" Service - Same day delivery of in-stock capsules—Call for details Unionpack • 140 Dodd Court • American Canyon, CA 94503 • (707) 557-CAPS (2277) • www.unionpack.com Stock Polylam Capsules ~15 Colors Available "This industry doesn't take revolution kindly. Evolution, maybe." —Kevin Willenborg, Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery Vina Robles uses 2-inch corks for its ageable wines and 1.75-inch corks for ready-to-drink varieties.