Cork and wine

What are the most important functions that a cork stopper must fulfill?
1. There must be no TCA and/or other organoleptic defects
2. It must not oxidize the contents of the bottle
3. It must not deviate the product
4. It must not run (the wine coming out in horizontal refinement)
Tca - Tba - Geosmine - Pirazine
TCA is the most widespread and recognized defect in the wine world. It is a gas released by the cork plant that associates and/or binds when it comes into contact with alcoholic substances. Today we can say with certainty that management of this anomaly is optimal and reliable. Indeed, we have implemented very detailed and individual treatment that eliminates the defects of the batches. Specifically, it is integral reclamation work.
We have invented a system, lasting 40 working days (960 hours), which is able to make an adjuvant of our invention penetrate to the center of each single cork, which combats and eliminates TCA and its derivatives. This process uses a strict quality control protocol, ensuring the effectiveness of all interventions.
The ranges of defects are authenticated by an external laboratory and validated by our Guarantee and Quality Certificate, which is issued upon receipt of the goods.
DEVIATIONS - soluble and invisible foreign body
A very delicate subject but one often avoided by us producers, it is the key to understanding the organoleptic quality of wine. The main causes are attributable to the cork:
processing residues due to production machinability and residues from washing and/or treatments for sterilization;
uneven distribution of lubricants and coatings which are used to facilitate good introduction and adherence of the cork to the glass.
Unfortunately, these substances are often synthetic, and if they are treated inadequately and remain unstable, they irreversibly migrate into the wine, modifying its properties and organoleptic profile.
Oxidations
This is a very common anomaly; we are talking about oxygen particles or residues accumulated by adjuvants used in production processes that trigger oxidation.
Our system has been designed to perform only a “physical” process on the cork (duration 24 hours), guaranteeing total elimination of these gases.
Conventional treatments (very common in our sector) are only chemical, i.e. sulfurous or adjuvants (like enzymes) are used which only act on the surface of the cork. All this is done to mask the positivity of oxygen in the analytical phase, thus avoiding a dispute and return of the analyzed batches by the winery.
Refinements with vertical bottles also increase oxidation, as the cork cannot maintain its humidity over time; instead, by positioning the bottles horizontally, the cork-wine contact keeps its elastic memory constant.
It is therefore important to be wary of those who recommend this type of refinement, which discredits the properties of cork.
Seepage and leakage
These are wine losses in the horizontal refinement phase.
The causes to be attributed to the cork can be:
Low density of the cork
Unsuitable size for the bottle neck
Incorrect processing of the cork, which cannot fully adhere to the glass
Incorrect processing of the cork, which cannot fully adhere to the glass
Possible pressures or carbon residues in the bottle (on still wines)
Filling levels declared on the bottom of the bottle not respected
Scoring of the jaws
Incorrect introduction of the cork
High refinement and/or transport temperatures
Since 2019 we have been using a new treatment invented and tested by us, called PRE-COATING, which, regardless of the product used, employs an innovative process by which a perfect and homogeneous dosage is guaranteed for individual lubrication on the entire surface of all the corks. This system, lasting over 24 hours, eliminates any possible migration and transfer of lubricants from the cork to the wine, ensuring absolute organoleptic inertia and eliminating any form of deviation.
Periodically checks and sampling are carried out on the entire supply chain of our products through global migration and N.I.A.S. analyzes, in which it is highlighted that our limits are well below the maximum allowed threshold (50 mg/kg).
Our company issues a Certificate of Guarantee and Quality upon receipt of the goods, which authenticates the production processes.
Our company issues a Certificate of Guarantee and Quality upon receipt of the goods which authenticates the production processes and guarantees the quality of the product.
Who we are
Our company policy is inspired by maximum transparency and excellence in quality.
History
It is a story that began decades ago, giving us the basis to project our know-how into the future
The method
We have a thorough system that contains all the properties of the product without neglecting any production step.
Sustainability
A concrete commitment to the environment does not start only from the product but from the entire production chain, from the raw material to the industrial site.
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