The anti-taste cork stopper

If there is a flaw that everyone knows in wine, it's the corky taste. This defect, killer of pleasures, which destroys the aromas and tastes of a wine to replace them with a damp cellar smell, of wet and moldy cardboard is a real plague for all wine lovers.

The cork being responsible in 95 % cases of contamination, the industry looked at solutions to reduce the occurrence of this defect. The synthetic cap or the screw cap are now well known to consumers. The cork stopper is likely to regain its titles of nobility thanks to science.

Amorim, undisputed leader of the cap

The Amorim company was born in 1870 and has since become the leading cork group in the world. Present in 103 pays, the company records nearly 35 % of world production. Amorim has chosen a vertical production policy, this means that it controls the entire chain, from raw material to finished product to guarantee maximum quality and production safety.

Amorim to the rescue of the cork stopper

The Portuguese group Amorim has just developed a rapid chromatography technology guaranteeing batches of cork stoppers without TriChloroAnisole (TCA) detectable. This innovation is the accomplishment of 5 years of research in the field with a budget of - only — 10 millions of euros.

Any risk of corkage is eliminated, because the process certifies that the residual TCA in the cork cannot exceed 0,5 nanogramme/litre, either a value below the detection threshold. The threshold of perception varies from one individual to another, of 1,5 to 8 nanograms per liter.

This new screening technology is complemented by preventive quality control methods already existing at Amorim, in particular its patented ROSA Evolution treatment process, which are used in the production of all caps and applied in addition to NDtech screening technology.

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This technology is currently reserved for high-end caps from the Amorim group.. This innovation is the result of an aggressive research policy on measuring the quality of corks. Before, such a quality measurement by chromatography took " 14 minutes, which made it unusable on production lines ”. From now on, "NDtech will bring levels of precision never reached in a quality process that takes place in a few seconds, even if the compounds are measured by particles per trillion ”specifies doctor Paulo Lopes, Head of Research and Development of Amorim.

A technological cork

Already tested by Amorim, NDtech technology will also be tested by two research centers : Hochschule Geisenheim and Australian Wine Research Institute to establish its reputation. At the of 5 years of research, technology required 10 million euros of investment. The company does not want to communicate the additional cost of using this instrument, this was the prize for the company for "offering a technology that undoubtedly positions cork at the top of the corks of the 21st century" promises Carlos de Jesus, Amorim's marketing director.

Thanks to this new quality guarantee, the Amorim group intends to consolidate its position as a technological and qualitative leader in the closures sector. Although Amorim has more than positive results in the market, competition is important with significant technological development. The company marketed 4,2 billion caps sold for 603 million euros in 2015, that is to say +8 %.

Since 10 years, the Oeneo group promises "all the benefits of cork without the drawbacks" with its Diam stopper. Oeneo has developed a supercritical CO² purification technique for its technical caps. DIAM line of caps promises to remove TCA, but also other precursors of musty aromas.