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4 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m next big thing is to find an innova- tive process of integrating it into the closure. This is what Guala is working on." Stay tuned. WINE IN SWING CAPS? We're all used to seeing wine in screw caps, but could wine bottles soon be coming with Grolsch beer-style swing caps? Judd Wallenbrock of Humanitas Wines in Napa thinks so. "I was sitting in a deli, won- dering what type of closure could meet all consumers' needs: something that easily opens and closes, is TCA-free and is aestheti- cally pleasing," says Wallenbrock. "As I'm eating my sandwich, I look up and see a soda pop from France that uses a swing cap, and I think, 'Look at that.'" After sourcing the appropri- ate glass, Judd bottled 47 cases of his 2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir under swing cap. Still, he says, there are currently significant barriers to using swing caps on a commercial scale. "We have bottling lines that are set up for a bottle, a cork and a capsule," he says. "The swing cap is a differ- ent apparatus." To bottle his wine, Judd hand assembled the swing caps onto the bottles and then hand-filled them. He used zip ties to make them tamperproof. Still, Wallen- brock thinks swing caps could have a place in the wine indus- try. "I think it's a very viable clo- sure," he says. "Hopefully, a larger company will get interest- ed and run with it." STAYING IN MOTION Many of these advancements represent years of research and development, with the advent of taint-free natural corks a response to a decades-long push and pull between cork suppliers and win- eries. Where will closures go next? The only clear thing is that the industry remains fast moving. Don't look for it to stand still any- time soon. Sean P. Sullivan is a contribut- ing editor for Wine Enthusiast and is also the founder of Wash- ington Wine Report, an online publication dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest. Sullivan also writes regularly for Seattle Metropoli- tan, Washington Tasting Room, and Edible Seattle. He lives in Seattle, Wash. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. Humanitas Wines' swing cap closure is eye- catching and makes for an easily reusable bottle.