Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/853816
34 WINES&VINES August 2017 PACKAGING For our annual Closures Issue, some of our winery and supplier sources shared observations about the ever-evolving closure industry. They might inspire you to change your style, or confirm your established appearance. It all starts with the closure Within the past decade, the natural cork industry has made remarkable strides to protect wine and its consumers from TCA contamination. Last year, Napa, Calif.-based Portocork released what it calls "the world's first whole natural cork with a 100% TCA-free guarantee," according to company presi- dent Dustin Mowe. The process screens each individual cork for TCA and eliminates the bad corks from the supply chain in a matter of seconds, Mowe said. It's a chemical process that forgoes using human testers and thus eliminates sensory fatigue. The ICON corks are available for Portocork's top three tiers in 54 mm and 49 mm corks on a limited (and allocated) basis for an additional $150 per 1,000 corks (15 cents each). Mowe said one of the most significant changes he has observed is a shift among lower priced wines that are reverting from synthetic back to natural cork. It's an effort to create better quality perception in the $6-$12 per bottle range, he said. Since corks are imported from Europe, in- creased strength of the U.S. dollar compared to the euro allows importers to be more competitive in price with alternative closures, Mowe said. In addition, technical (agglomerated) corks, in which small cork particles are treated to remove TCA and other negative aromatic com- pounds, can provide competitively priced, high- performing closures that rival lower priced alternatives. Cork Supply USA, also in Napa, introduced its new VINC technical cork earlier this year, said CEO James Herwatt. Produced at the company's new facility in Portugal, VINC is made with the VAPEX cleaning process that reduces TCA on cork granules through mass- and heat transfer. It's a lower cost TCA-removal system that guarantees 0.5 ng/L or less releasable TCA. Topping the Bottle: It's a Free-for-All Anything goes for closures and capsules in the ever-evolving wine packaging arena By Jane Firstenfeld W hen searching at trade shows, online and in markets for trends in capsules and closures, we came up…empty. With so many choices, winemakers are free to top off their bottles of wine with whatever style seems the best fit for their customers.