Vintners are split on their views of how to seal wines to keep the quality and freshness intact during shipping and storage. The wine ends up being a hit on the dinner table if the sealing method is a success. If not, the wine is judged undrinkable.
There are some traditionalists who stick to using cork closures to seal their wine despite the fact that synthetic corks are a growing technique of sealing wines.
To the buyer, the cork becomes an insignificant item when they can be easily removed and the contents are fresh and distinctly flavored. But the cork becomes all important if it’s dry and brittle and the wine has turned to vinegar.
Most corks are carved from oak tree barks that grows in Mediterranean countries and Portugal. Because a fungus can attack the fiber of the corks, the quality of the bottle’s contents can be destroyed.
To ensure that molds, bacteria, and yeast are removed from the cork before processing, some vintners combat the corks flaws by using certain methods. Boiling the cork in water helps to kill the microorganisms in the cork. They’re cut into strips after they’ve been flattened and carved into bottle corks.
The risk of wine contamination can be reduced by synthetic corks and these are formed from plastic compounds. Besides having the disadvantage of being difficult to remove from the bottle, many vintners believe they convey a slight chemical flavor to the wine.
When it comes to screw on caps, they’re made from aluminum or tin and form a seal that can last longer than traditional cork closures. However, vintners don’t like using screw tops on their fine wines because customers think that this type of seal are used with cheap wines.
Also part of a growing trend to find a way to successfully seal wines are crown caps. During the fermentation process, this has been used in the wine market. But although the crown cap provides a tight seal, the ceremonial aspect involved with opening a bottle of wine is eliminated.
At a home gathering or restaurant, no one wants to open a bottle of wine to find that’s it’s turned to vinegar. The purchaser is disappointed and the vintner suffers a loss. That’s why the making of wine closures is the number one priority of wine manufacturers.
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categories: Wine,Food and Drink,Food and Beverage