Durban - Necessity will always be the mother of invention. The revolution in wine closures that has seen the industry trying a host of alternatives to closing the bottle – plastic corks, screw caps, glass closures – has given the cork industry pause for thought.
The issues with cork taint (the mouldy, musty smell and taste typically associated with trichloroanisole or TCA in the cork), that at its height in South Africa affected on average one bottle in each 12-bottle case, has been a bone of contention for the local industry. When winemakers had invested their skills in producing a wine of which to be proud, it was devastating for nearly 10% of their work to be ruined by something outside their control.
Shifting to alternative closures, including the convenience that has become associated with screw cap, was inevitable. Yet, so was the innovation from the cork industry in countering the lost business, once they had resolved their issues around poor cork production and manufacturing.
The world’s largest cork-stopper manufacturer, Amorim, used this year’s Cape Wine to launch its Helix twist-to-open cork closure to the South African market, bringing out Amorim chief executive Antonio Amorim from Portugal to do the honours.
Billed as “a modern twist on an ancient tradition”, the Helix concept is aimed at the still wine market and is the first innovation of its kind. It also took the cork specialists and glass company Owens-Illinois more than four years to perfect.
Amorim South Africa MD Joaquim Sá says the dynamic nature of South Africa’s wine market has stimulated producers to deliver innovative products – not only in terms of wines and styles, but packaging and closures. Hence, the country was the ideal platform from which to launch Helix to the ‘New World’ (wine-makers outside Europe).
The twist-to-open concept combines an ergonomically-designed stopper of cork and a glass bottle with an internal thread finish in the neck.
Sá says the partners drew on their innovation capabilities and expertise in serving global wine markets. Amorim says the product offered a solution combining functionality with the ancient tradition of enjoying a wine bottled under cork.
“There is a romantic connotation with wine and it is important to preserve that. This is important for the consumer and essential for wineries competing in a very competitive and cluttered market,” he says.
Vinimark has launched the first local wine bottled under the new closure – Krone Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2015, which will be available under a sophisticated foil-wrapped Helix closure. Sá believes this will “give the product an edge” in the local popular premium market.
Whatever the market reaction, Helix will give the industry serious food for thought.
* E-mail your comments and suggestions to jenveyn@telkomsanet
The Mercury