In this episode of WWTV I get to two people associated with the wine closure industry. Susan Owen from G3 Enterprises talks about screwcaps and their role in the wine industry. Kevin André is from cork manufacturer DIAM. He talks about corks in general and what DIAM specifically brings to the table with their technology and process for making corks.
Links for the show:
G3 Enterprises (they do more than just screwcaps) – https://www.g3enterprises.com
DIAM Bouchage SAS – https://www.diam-kork.com/en
Oeneo SA – https://oeneo.com/en/
Rémy Martin – https://www.remymartin.com/en-us/
Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) – APPLYING SCREW CAP CLOSURES (Perfect site to learn more about screwcaps) – https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/storage-and-packaging/packaging-operations/applying-screw-cap-closures/
Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) – TRANSPORT AND STORAGE (article that contains a section saying it doesn’t matter if you store a wine vertically or horizontally – go to the section titled “Bottle orientation during transport and storage”) – https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/storage-and-packaging/post-packaging/transport-and-storage/
The Drinks Business – Storing wine on its side is nonsense, says scientist (this scientist is from a competing cork manufacturer) – https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/06/storing-wine-on-its-side-is-bullsht-says-scientist/
Yalumba (the winery that pioneered the use of screwcaps – I misspoke as to which winery it was) – https://www.yalumba.com
Wine Enthusiast – The Pros & Cons of Different Wine Closures – https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/wine-closures-pros-cons/
Wikipedia – Quercus suber (the species of oak that is suitable for cork) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_suber
Wikipedia – Oak (wine) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_(wine)
Vinepair – The 8,000 Year Effort To Transport Wine Around The World (Great in-depth article about how we stored and shipped wine that talks about early closures, mostly for things like amphorae, but also alternatives to cork early on when we started using bottles) – https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/history-wine-transport-8000-years/
Historic State Capitol Commission (main site that has a list of trees – see link below) – https://capitolcommission.legislature.ca.gov
Historic State Capitol Commission- Capitol Park Tree Inventory Document – https://annex.assembly.ca.gov/sites/annex.assembly.ca.gov/files/List%20of%20Tree%20Species%20in%20Capitol%20Park.pdf
Monumental Trees – Cork Oak in the park of the California State Capitol Museum, Sacramento, California, United States (page dedicated to one of the cork trees in the Capitol Park and source of the pic I used) – https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/usa/california/sacramentocounty/19197_californiastatecapitolmuseum/36110/
The Finest Bubble – Technological Corks: What’s The Big Deal? – https://thefinestbubble.com/news-and-reviews/technological-corks-whats-big-deal/
Wikipedia – Cork taint – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint
Wikipedia – Maillard reaction – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction
National Institute of Health (NIH) National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information – uncorking Haloanisoles in Wine (for the super chemistry nerd) – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10054257/
ETS – Assessing Haloanisole Risk (probably a must read for any winemaker) – https://www.etslabs.com/publications/publication/47
ETS – Screening for TCA and other Haloanisoles – https://www.etslabs.com/publications/publication/22
I’ll Drink to That! Podcast – literally the best wine podcast out there for professionals – https://illdrinktothatpod.com
I’ll Drink to That! Podcast (Spotify link) – 445: Reinventing the Cork with Dominique Tourneix of DIAM (a lot of similar info, but also a lot of different info. Definitely worth listening to) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wr8t9HoHds8mYJQqL4oUp
Winemakers Research Exchange (from the Virginia wine industry that’s honestly a kick-ass resource – all of their articles are free to the public (they still retain a copyright)) – Closure contributions to total package oxygen include initial release as well as transmission over time – https://winemakersresearchexchange.com/library/stabilization-and-bottling/closure-contributions-to-total-package-oxygen-include-initial-release-as-well-as-transmission-over-time
Decanter – Chateau Margaux unveils organic and screwcap wines (from 2012) – https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/chateau-margaux-unveils-organic-and-screwcap-wines-32510/
Wine Spectator – Bordeaux, Burgundy Producers Take Screw Caps for a Test Drive (from 2004) – https://www.winespectator.com/articles/bordeaux-burgundy-producers-take-screw-caps-for-a-test-drive-22081
The Drinks Business – Margaux opts for organics (from 2012) – https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/02/margaux-opts-for-organics/
New Zealand Wine – Kiwi ingenuity in the NZ wine industry – https://www.nzwine.com/en/media/story/innovation/?submit=
Wine Industry Advisor – Guala Closures Group: Moving Wine Forward with Aluminum Screw Caps – https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2024/01/11/guala-closures-group-moving-wine-forward-with-aluminum-screw-caps/
Robb Report – Why It’s Time for Fine Wine to Ditch the Cork and Embrace Screw Caps – https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/screw-cap-fine-wine-ditch-cork-1234812520/
Amazon – The Durand® (affiliate link, I may receive a small kickback if you purchase from this link) – https://amzn.to/3Cu6Wll
DIAM Cork YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@DiamCork
DIAM Cork YouTube Channel Videos that show different parts of how corks are made, some are used in this episode:
The DIAMANT® process – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjYAR_n5M1M
La nobleza del corcho – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRuR-7fhhoc
DIAMANT PROCESS by DIAM BOUCHAGE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek8eIpPW0PI
Presentation Diam Cork – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQJOpip160o
Cork harvest 360° video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpfpfX_jDAE
Diam, master oxygen and time – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHiducz4zoI
D’où vient le liège ? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33mOA5k-r8A
