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heads (the machine that shrinks the capsule onto the bottle), which makes the capsule even more environmentally friendly due to the reduced use of energy. The color of the capsules also required some tweaking. Trinity Oaks uses color-coded packaging to denote the different wines in the range – pinot noir is purple, cabernet sauvignon is red and chardonnay is a golden yellow – and it wanted to ensure the closest match possible. "That was one of the big things we and Maverick were worried about," Huntsinger said. They were eventually able to find the right color matches. 126 V I N EYA R D & WINE RY M ANAGEM ENT A GREEN INVESTMENT As is the case with many new products, the PLA capsule and sugar cane closure both cost more than their more established conventional counterparts. But that's almost beside the point for some producers, who consider the cost difference to be a part of growing a healthy green business. For Trinity Oaks' Hunt s i n g e r, t h e 5 % - 1 0 % expense increase is balanced by the value it gets from producing a green product; Trinchero will also benefit from economies of scale if it adopts PLA capsules on its other brands. The capsule on Trinity Oaks' wines is made with corn. | Jan - Feb 2014 "We want to do the right thing and be sustainable and be recognized for that," he said. "When we get up to volume on our tens of millions of bottles of wine, it will mitigate the increase." Nomacorc's Select Bio was designed and marketed as a highend product, but a high-quality natural cork will still cost more, Slater said. "We offer a value proposition – a zero-carbon, plant-based product at a competitive price." (That remains to be seen; the company was not ready to reveal pricing for the new closure at press time.) Danielle Beurteaux is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y., who writes about drinks, business, investing and technology for national magazines and websites. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m