Screw caps
Nothing is more frustrating than opening a bottle only to find it is corked.
That having been said cork has broad shoulders as it not responsible alone for the foul moldy taste. To avoid such defects that affect one out of twenty bottles worldwide, the wine sector have come up with innovative ideas.
The screw cap is used since 2011 and 60% of the global bottled wine currently used screw caps.
«Screw caps represent the safest bottling system to guarantee the quality of our wines»,
according to Frédéric Blanck,
«It provides a very constant supply of oxygen, contrary to traditional corks, and it does away with the risk of corked wine but also other aromatic defects linked to the cork.»
« Can we still say that cork is a natural product given all the chemical used to clean it from its impurities? I doubt we can still talk of a natural product ».
Frédéric Blanck
Cork, the traditional solution, has all the right characteristics to ensure water-tight bottles but as a natural product also has its downsides.
Where precisely does the cork taste come from?
Experiments have shown that in principle all wine bottles are corked.
But the degree varies according to the concentration in trichloroanisole, a chemical compound usually found in very low doses of two to five parts per trillion, which is well-below the threshold of human perception.Lab experts can detect the smell of corked wine starting at 10 parts per million.
When someone complaints about a corked wine at a restaurant, the level is usually of 50 to 100 parts per trillion.
But a doubt can still linger: will the wine reach the consumer untainted?
One does not question the traditional bottling method without applying extreme care.
The revolutionary aspect of the Stelvin bottling technique required years of testing by the world’s top institutes. The concept behind the screw cap technology for wines took shape in the 1960s. Over time remarkable technical progress overcame the resistances to change.
The Stelvin screw cap answers the wishes of the modern consumer:
The screw cap keeps the wine’s qualities in the bottle, so to speak, thank to perfect water tightness, regulated oxygen exchange and the absence of the TCA molecule responsible for the strong cork taste defect.
Moreover, the bottle is more practical and user-friendly as it is far easier to open and put the screw cap back on. Another advantage is that it can be transported in any position, even upside-down.
The screw cap is neutral from an organoleptic perspective. You enjoy the wine, and nothing but the wine!
Il s’agit d’une capsule à vis, dotée d’un joint spécifique adapté à chaque vin. Par ailleurs, cette capsule est très pratique car elle permet à la bouteille de s’ouvrir très facilement, et se refermer pour une consommation fragmentée.
L’excellente qualité technique du bouchage à vis des vins n’est actuellement plus contestée. Plus de 20 ans d’essais comparatifs, de mesures, de dégustations..., ont conduit tous les œnologues à la même conclusion :
- Excellence du bouchage, même pour les longues durées de conservation
- Neutralité organoleptique absolue : pas de mi
gration du joint d’étanchéité vers le contenu
- Étanchéité : plus de bouteille couleuse - facilité d’ouverture préservant l’intégrité du bouchage.
to the traditional cork, the screw cap
is in a comfortable position: it is on the verge
of a new chapter from which they will be
no going back »
Laure Gasparotto
