4 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T
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M a y - J u n e 2 015
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m
ineries seek out alternatives to
traditional closures for a variety
of reasons, from wanting more
consistency across the case to control-
ling costs to concerns about cork taint.
There are numerous options available on
the market today, from screwcaps with
variable oxygen transmission rates to
synthetic and glass closures to taint-free
technical corks.
While most winemakers interviewed
for this story seemed fairly satisfied
with whatever closure they are currently
using, many continue to explore options.
BY SEAN P. SULLIVAN
NATURAL CORKS TO SCREWCAPS
Joe Miller of Rexford Winery in Santa
Cruz, Calif., began looking at alterna-
tives to cork after seeing a high inci-
dence of cork taint in his wines, as well
as significant variability across bottles.
"I experimented early on with synthetic
corks," Miller said. "They were fine for
six months to two years and after that
they seemed to have a high rate of air
passage." Miller also experimented with
crown caps but didn't think his custom-
ers would approve.
In
Search
of
the
P
erfect
Closure
Winemakers
switch
for
a
variety
of
reasons
