Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/63248
WINERY By Deborah Parker Wong New quality control methods and sustainable practices contribute to increased demand ales of cork wine closures, a growing family of products that range from hand-select- ed, individually screened nat- ural corks to micro-agglomerates that may contain only 50% cork, have been trending up for the last two years with several Northern California cork companies calling 2011 their best year on record. Dustin Mowe, president of Por- tocork America, a subsidiary of Amorim Group, spoke to his com- pany's growth in North America: "2010 was our best year ever and we saw gross revenue jump by 17% on an 11% increase in vol- ume." The company shipped more 50 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT MAY - JUNE 2012 than 350 million cork closures in 2011 and cited a 10% increase in cork exports from Portugal. The demand for cork closures from an industry that now has a wealth of alternative closure options signals a vote of confidence both from producers and consum- ers in the effectiveness of the cork quality control measures, industry principals say. Cork quality and the guidelines established by the Cork Quality Council (CQC) for the chemical and sensory sampling that ensure it are a priority for CQC member com- panies, which include Cork Supply USA, Ganau America, Lafitte Cork & Capsule, M.A. Silva and Porto- cork America. These producers and AT A GLANCE Demand for natural cork is strong, despite the wealth of alternative closure options available. Natural corks can be individually screened for neutrality. Micro-agglomerated closures are driving growth in the category. Suppliers are working to bring overall cork failure rates to below 1%. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM