15.5 Packaging and Closures Flashcards
What is the most popular package and closure for wine?
Glass bottles finished with cork
What considerations are taken into account when choosing packaging and closures?
- its place in the market (intended for early sale and consumption or as a wine that potentially may have a long life ahead of it)
- the markets in which it will be sold
- oxygen management
What is the most important consideration when choose packaging and closures? Why?
- oxygen management
- the amount of oxygen in the final container will determine the shelf life and expected development of the wine
What will too much oxygen lead to?
- premature browning and oxidised characters (loss of fruit, development of off-flavours including bruised apple)
What will too little oxygen lead to?
- may lead to reductive characters (e.g. onion, rotten eggs)
What comprises the total package oxygen of a wine? What is the greatest contributer?
- the amount of dissolved oxygen in the wine
- the oxygen in the head space (below the cork or other closure) – usually the greatest contributor
- the amount of oxygen in the cork or other closure
- the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the cork or closure.
What are the 2 main alternatives to glass bottles? Where are these popular?
- producer markets (e.g. France) where inexpensive plastic (PVC) containers are used to collect wine from a local winery for short term storage and early drinking
- bag-in-box in some markets (50 per cent and more), such as the Swedish market.
What are the 5 main advantages of bottling in glass?
- made of inert material that conveys no taint to the wine, impermeable to oxygen
- delivered to wineries in a near sterile condition, having been shrink-wrapped when still hot
- inexpensive to manufacture, comes in a range of colours
- 100% recyclable (some colours are less easy to recycle)
- best option for the ageing of wine as it is impermeable to oxygen
What are the disadvantages of bottling in glass?
- high carbon footprint initially because of the heat needed to manufacture it
- heavy to transport, contributing to carbon footprint, especially if it is transported far
- fairly fragile
- rigid; once opened, subject to rapid oxidation
- clear bottles susceptible to light spoilage (light strike) producing sulfur-related off-aromas
What color bottles are the best to protect wines from light?
- Brown
- Green
What type of plastic is used for wine bottling?
- PET
- polyethylene terephthalate
What must be done if polyethylene terephthalate is used for wine bottling?
- must be lined with a barrier to oxygen if it is to be impermeable and therefore give a reasonable shelf life
- special filling equipment required as the PET bottles are inflated at filling
What are the benefits of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)?
- lightweight plastic (~1/8th the weight of glass)
- tough
- inexpensive
- recyclable
- range of sizes (standard bottle, single serve)
For what types of wines is polyethylene terephthalate well suited?
- wines with a limited shelf life
- wine made for quick consumption in informal settings (outdoor eating, travel) or on planes where breakage is a hazard
Describe bag-in-box packaging.
- consists of a cardboard box that houses a flexible bag inside
- bag usually made of a very thin aluminium foil (which acts as a barrier to oxygen) covered on both sides by a suitable plastic
- OR bag is made from a plastic that gives some protection from oxygen and is resistant to cracking
What are the 5 main advantages of bag-in-box packaging?
- flexible pour size (one or more glasses)
- good protection from oxygen after wine has been poured (the bag collapses inside the box)
- a range of sizes, 1.5–20 litres, suitable for home and commercial use
- easy to store
- low environmental impact (light to transport, can be recycled)
Why must bag-in-box packaging wine have a slightly higher SO2 level than in glass?
To counter oxidation
What must bag-in-box wine have to protect it?
- slightly higher SO2 level
- a low dissolved oxygen level
- no head space
- low carbon dioxide (avoid the bag bulging)
What is the shelf life of bag-in-box wine?
- 6–9 months depending on the quality of the manufacture
- the best may protect wine for up to a year
Where is bag-in-box wine popular?
- Australia, where it was pioneered
- Sweden
Describe ‘brick’ packaging. What name does this packaging go by?
- aka ‘Tetra Pak’
- made of paper card with plastic layers and an aluminium foil layer that excludes oxygen and light
- can be entirely filled with wine, thereby excluding oxygen
In what markets does brick packaging do well?
- does well at lower price points
- does well in markets where price is a major driver (e.g. Germany)
What are the costs associated with brick packaging?
- filling equipment is a big investment
- some producers outsource the filling of bricks
Describe ‘pouch’ packaging.
- similar to the bags inside bag-in-boxes
- available in larger (e.g. 1.5 litre) and single serve sizes
What are the advantages of ‘can’ packaging?
- light weight
- robust
- easy to open
- impermeable to oxygen
- recyclable
What has to be done to cans before packaging?
The aluminium has to be lined with a plastic to avoid being attacked by the acidity of the wine
What are the costs associated with can packaging?
- filling equipment is a big investment
- some producers outsource the filling of cans
For what types of wine is can packaging used?
For wine that is to be consumed early
The ideal closure would combine what 4 properties?
- protect the wine from rapid oxidation
- be inert so that it does not affect the quality of the wine adversely
- be easy to remove and to re-insert
- be cheap, recyclable and free from faults
What is the most common closure?
Cork
What percentage of wine bottles use cork as a closure?
60%
What are the 5 main closures?
- Natural cork
- Technical cork
- Synthetic closure
- Screwcap
- Glass stoppers
What are the 4 main advantages of natural cork?
- light
- flexible
- inert
- comes from a renewable, natural resource
What are the 4 main disadvantages of natural cork?
- corks can taint wine through the creation of TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) and other related compounds
- have variable rates of oxygen ingress (same wine ages at different rates in the medium to long term)
- can house harmful fungi
- requires a specialised tool to remove it
What types of natural corks are used for inexpensive wines? Why?
- shorter, lower-grade corks
- cheaper
- wines are intended for short term consumption
Approximately, what percentage of bottles are affected by cork taint?
3-5%
Name 4 efforts by the cork industry to reduce or eliminate the incidence of cork taint in natural cork.
- cleaning corks with stream extraction
- creating closures from recomposed cork particles that have been cleaned and reconstituted with a plastic
- more rigorous quality control during cork production, including high-cost high-tech solutions
- introducing a barrier between the cork and the wine; this is an impermeable membrane that gives a wrinkled appearance on the end of the cork and excludes any aromas reaching the wine
What is the largest word producer of cork products? What method of cork taint protect have they championed?
- Amorim
- cleaning corks with steam extraction
Name another cork producer. What method of cork taint protect have they championed?
- Diam
- creating closures from recomposed cork particles that have been cleaned and reconstituted with a plastic
What are technical corks?
Made from cork that has been subjected to a manufacturing process
What is the cheapest type of technical cork? For what types of wines are these corks suitable?
- agglomerated cork in which cork granules are glued together
- suitable for inexpensive wines intended to be drunk quickly after purchase
Name 2 types of technical corks.
- agglomerated cork
2. one-plus-one cork
What is a one-plus-one cork?
the largest, central, section is inexpensive agglomerate, but it is finished with a disc of natural cork at both ends
Why do technical corks allow for such flexibility?
They are available with different oxygen-ingress rates so that a winemaker can choose a closure for wines to be drunk in the short term or for ageing
What are synthetic closures?
- aka ‘plastic corks’
- made of food-grade plastic with a silicone coating
What are moulded closures?
- type of synthetic closure
- cheapest
- relative rigidity makes them more difficult to re-insert in the bottle
What are extruded closures?
- type of synthetic closure
- more elastic
- made by an external firm layer of plastic covering a plastic foam
What are the disadvantages of moulded closures?
- offer limited protection from oxygen ingress
- only suitable for wines for consumption within months
What are the advantages of extruded closures? Who is a top producer of these corks?
- now come in a range of oxygen-ingress rates
- leading producer Nomacorc
- claims that its top line is suitable for extended ageing in bottle
What is a main disadvantage of all synthetic closures?
- flavour scalping: the loss of some flavour intensity because plastic absorbs some flavour molecules
What are ‘in bottle’ closures? Give examples.
- can be implemented on traditional bottling lines set up for natural cork and traditional bottle sizes and shapes
- no additional cost or logistical issues (having the right type of bottle available) in switching between them
Examples:
- natural corks
- technical corks
- synthetic corks
What are 2 closures that are not considered ‘in bottle’ closures?
- Screwcap
2. Glass stopper
What is a screwcap?
- an aluminium closure rolled onto the outside of a bottleneck that has been specially designed for this purpose
- requires different closure equipment from in-bottle closures
For screwcaps, what materials are used to seal the wine? What are the advantages of each?
- Tin (impermeable to oxygen)
2. Saran (a form of plastic with low permeability to oxygen, better known for its use as cling film)
What is the main issue with screwcaps?
Wines can become reductive after bottling, with an unpleasant onion-like smell on first opening
How do winemakers avoid reduction when bottling with screwcaps?
Adapting the final wine to have slightly lower SO2 levels
What are the main advantages, from a consumer standpoint, of screwcraps?
- can be opened without a special tool
- eliminate the possibility of taint from corks
In what countries is there a. high degree of screwcap acceptance for all but the finest wines?
Australia, New Zealand, UK
In what countries are screwcaps seen as synonymous with inexpensive wine?
USA (although attitudes are beginning to change), China
Why would many larger wineries offer the same wine with both screwcap and cork?
To appease both markets that accept screwcraps and those that don’t
What is a glass stopper?
- aka Vinolok
- a closure made from glass, but where the actual seal is formed by a plastic ring
What are the advantages of glass stoppers?
- Wine can be stored for similar lengths of time as under other current closures (e.g. natural cork)
- Look attractive
What are the disadvantages of glass stoppers?
- Special bottles must be used to ensure a perfect fit
- As expensive as top quality cork
For what types of wines are glass stoppers typically used?
- Only suitable for premium and super-premium wines
- Super expensive
