Corks and other Closures
The entry into a modern era sometimes forces us to slowly bid farewell to familiar trusted ways. This also applies to wine lovers, for whom the cork is still seen as the epitome of wine culture. However, the cork as a traditional closure is getting increasing competition.
Cork has been used as a closure at least since the 5th century BC, when the ancient Greeks sealed their amphorae with this elastic material. This knowledge was then used by Pierre Pérignon (1639 - 1715) two thousand years later when he replaced the wooden stoppers in sparkling wines with corks. As a wine closure, cork has the advantage that it is permeable to oxygen, which has a positive effect on the maturity of the wine - especially with high-quality red wines. At least that's the popular opinion. The latest studies from Geisenheim even deny cork the ability to breathe. It should be airtight. However, cork is and remains a natural product and is therefore difficult to standardize. If it weren't for the problem with cork taint, which occurs in approx. 5% of corks causing great economic damage each year, the current discussion about alternative wine closures would probably not exist.
Cork taint
Cork taint is caused by microorganisms which can penetrate into the numerous pores of the cork oak after stripping the trees and during storage. There they produce substances whose taste becomes active when the cork is subsequently sterilized. A substance that is responsible for the cork taint is called e.g. Trichloroanisole (TCA). Only five ppt (parts per trillion = parts in a trillion liters) are sufficient to produce a clearly perceptible cork taint. The problem is more serious for German white wines than for wines from southern Europe, where strong red wines dominate. This is because with our fine fruity wines, the cork taint is noticeable in the early stages, where the inexperienced wine lover does not perceive it as such. The fruity wine aromas are only slightly covered by the dull, musty aromas of the cork taint initially and the wine does not show the brilliance that it normally would.
In order to counter cork taint, many winegrowers and the cork industry themselves have offered alternatives made of synthetic material. Around a third of all bottles in Germany are now sealed with a synthetic closure. There are now synthetic products which can conserve wine without a problem for three years or more, if properly stored. This is sufficient for the majority of wines.
Demand for Screw cap
Of the approximately 17 billion bottles of wine that were produced worldwide in 2008, around 2.5 billion are said to have been sold with a screw cap, the newspaper “Le Figaro” reported. In 2003 there were only 300 million. For Germany, the estimates amount to around 500 million bottles, which use a screw cap annually.
Screw caps have long been used in this country primarily for simple quality wine. Hence the comparatively bad image that sometimes still prevails in the minds of some consumers. They are particularly popular in the catering sector, parts of which demand delivery in screw caps.
The pioneers in Germany were the Württembergers and the Franconians. Around 80% of all liter bottles there have screw caps. Internationally, Australia and New Zealand have been pushing the screw cap for years. Meanwhile, even some retail chains are stipulating screw caps or other alternative closures to their suppliers in order to counter the problem and expense of cork taint.
In 2005 at the international wine fair ProWein, various renowned German wineries presented wines with the Stelvin screw cap for the first time. It extends like a capsule over the bottle neck and is a high-quality alternative to cork due to its ability to be embossed. Since then, there has been a trend towards screw caps at many wineries in this country.
Alternative glass closures
Vinolok
In 2004 Alcoa from Worms, one of the largest manufacturers of closure systems and packaging machines for the beverage industry, developed a new glass closure called "Vinolok". It is a glass stopper that is sealed and resealable with a ring made of Elvax, a material that is also used for mineral water bottle closures, that ensures a tight secure hold in the bottle mouth. An aluminum overcap was developed in various colors to further secure the glass stopper and provide tamper-evident protection.
This closure is of great interest in the wine industry and is widely accepted by consumers.
Vinolok production has grown from 2 million in 2004 when it entered the market, to over 20 million in 2008. Since then its use has increased, not only in the premium segments but also in the basic segment, as it often serves as a feature of the winemaker.
StainlessCap - a crown cork for the wine bottle
Winegrower Peter Querbach from Oestrich-Winkel in the Rheingau, developed the so-called "StainlessCap" about fifteen years ago, a patented bottle closure system in which a stainless steel crown cork is hidden under the capsule on the bottleneck. Some winemakers are using it, however, the market share is very small.
How can there be a cork taste even in a wine that is not corked?
Cork taint can also be caused by chlorine-containing cleaning agents, which often react with wood, e.g. from pallets. These then in turn emit the resulting odor tones to closures stored on them or directly to the wine via contaminated air.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
to sweet selections Apple doughnuts with vanilla sauce
to sweet selections
- 5 große, säuerliche Äpfel
- 200 Gramm Mehl
- 2 Eier
- 250 ml Milch
- 2 EL Rum
- Nach Bedarf Schmalz oder Öl
- Nach Belieben Zimt, Zucker, Salz
Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into finger-thick, even slices. Drizzle with rum and sugar. Leave to infuse.
Stir the batter, it should be quite thick. Turn the apple rings in it and bake floating in hot fat until golden brown.
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Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.
- Riesling (süß & edelsüß)
- Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)
with pumpkin and white wine sauce Pasta with pumpkin and white wine sauce
with pumpkin and white wine sauce
- 750 Gramm Butternut-Kürbis(se)
- 3 kleine Zwiebeln
- 2 Zehen Knoblauch
- 1 Becher Crème fraîche
- 250 ml trockener Weißwein
- 500 ml Gemüsebrühe
- 25 Gramm Parmesan oder ähnlicher Hartkäse
- 400 Gramm Spaghetti oder andere Nudeln
- nach Geschmack Salz, Pfeffer, Zucker
- 4 EL Kürbiskerne, evtl. gehackt
- nach Belieben Muskat, Thymian
Sauté the garlic and onions until translucent. Dice the butternut squash and add, season with pepper and sugar. When the cubes are still firm, pour in the white wine and vegetable stock. Continue cooking until the squash is firm to the bite.
In the meantime, cook and drain the pasta.
Add the thyme, nutmeg, salt and crème fraîche to the boiling pumpkin, bring to the boil and thicken. Stir in the parmesan and season to taste. You can also crush some diced pumpkin to make the sauce sweeter.
Arrange the pasta on plates and top with the pumpkin sauce.
Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
- Scheurebe (trocken)
with dry sparkling wine Sparkling wine and lime dessert
with dry sparkling wine
- 300ml Winzersekt
- 4 Limetten
- 100g Zucker
- 30g Speisestärke
- 100g Butterkekse
- 50g ungesalzene Butter
- 2 Eiweiße
- 50g grieschicher Joghurt
- 150g Schlagsahne
Pour the sparkling wine and sugar into a pan. Chill the remaining sparkling wine. Wash 1 lime with hot water and finely grate the zest. Halve the lime and 2 others, squeeze out the juice and mix with the cornflour. Pour everything into the pan and bring to the boil briefly. Remove the pan from the heat and chill the cream in the fridge.
Fill the shortbread biscuits into a freezer bag, crush with a rolling pin and place in a bowl. Melt the butter in a pan, pour over the crumbled shortbread biscuits, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Leave to cool briefly, divide half into large wine glasses and press down firmly.
Cut the lime into slices. Beat the egg whites with salt until stiff. Stir the yoghurt into the chilled champagne and lime cream. Whip the cream until stiff and fold into the cooled cream, one after the other, together with the beaten egg whites. Spread half over wine glasses, add another layer of shortbread biscuits and finish with a layer of cream. Garnish with lime slices and pour in the remaining sparkling wine. Toast and enjoy!
- Riesling (trocken)
- Pinot Blanc (trocken)
with wild mushrooms Cream of potato soup
with wild mushrooms
- 300 Gramm geschälte Kartoffeln
- 100 Gramm Wurzelgemüse
- 100 Gramm Waldpilze
- 1 ganze Zwiebel
- 1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
- 30 Gramm Speckwürfel
- 40 Gramm Margarine
- 750 ml Brühe
- 200 ml Sahne
- 1 Zweig Thymian
- nach Belieben Petersilie, Butter, Salz, Pfeffer, Muskat
Clean, wash and finely dice the root vegetables. Finely dice the onion and garlic clove and finely chop the thyme. Sauté the diced bacon with the margarine in a pan until lightly browned, add the diced onion, garlic, root vegetables and thyme. Sauté, add the stock and cook for 2 minutes.
Finely grate the potatoes, add to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, add the cream, season and flavour. Clean, wash and chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour over the soup when serving.
- Riesling (trocken)
- Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
