Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
research and development. While the manufacturing process is similar to its other products, the different materials used for Select Bio meant Nomacorc had to work at matching the performance of its other closures, including the oxygen transfer rate. The first producer to try out the Select Bio was Allegrini Estate in Montalcino, Italy, with its San Polo wines, which are focused on environmental sustainability. For entry-level wines, finding a good substitute for a high-quality cork has been a challenge. "The problem with entry-level wines is there's no budget to buy a good cork," said chief winemaker Nicola Biasi, "and synthetic closures feel unnatural to customers." He began experimenting with the Select Bio closure in 2011, checking oxygen levels in the tank before and during bottling, and then opening the bottles every six Development of the Select Bio closure, made from sugar cane, required significant R&D. months for tasting and comparing the same wine sealed with different closures. "I can be quite sure all the bottles can be the same after two years," he said. "This is something too difficult to find with (natural) cork." Trinity Oaks committed to a similar level of development with its plant-based capsule. It tested the PLA capsule on its bottling lines in small test batches, which meant shutting down its bottling line during testing. With a few adjustments, the capsule now works with the winery's normal production line. The winery was able to decrease the temperature on the heat shrink TRAVELING IN (GREEN) STYLE For organic, Biodynamic and sustainable wineries, shipping in anything less than eco-friendly packaging is bad business. With this in mind, innovative companies are coming up with ways to make shipping more earth-friendly – and more stylish. This prototype shipper from Pfeiffer Lab was designed to be both functional and stylish. Pfeiffer Lab, a design consulting firm in Oakland, Calif., first approached the challenge with research. "We found out that an estimated onethird of the landfill in the United States is expanded w w w. v w m m e d i a.com polystyrene waste," said Tom Keegan, managing director of business development. "We also did a few interviews in the wine industry at the distribution level and discovered there's a big problem with breakage during shipping." It worked in concert with Malama Composites in San Diego, Calif., which had developed a castor-based non-toxic foam that's compostable and recyclable, to create a beautiful shipper that can withstand shocks, has thermal properties and is brandable. It was also designed to be stylish, since, Pfeiffer discovered, many consumers tend to store their wine in the shipping package until they drink it. The end product – currently in the prototype stage as the company scouts for development partners – is a combination shipper/wine storage system attractive enough to be used to display bottles on a kitchen counter. Another approach to the same problem comes from wine packaging company Vinpak in American Canyon, Calif. It partnered with Lansing, Mich.based KTM Industries to design a shipping package using Green Cell Foam, a cornstarch-based material that's biodegradable, recyclable, compostable and customizable. J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A NAG EM EN T 125