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Precise Oxygen Management for Wine Bottling
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Precise Oxygen Management for Wine Bottling
Wine maturation does not end with bottling. On the contrary: The latest findings show that only the proper maturation in the bottle can retain all desired aromas. The quality of a wine stands and falls with oxygen. A precise oxygen measurement system developed especially for bottling is setting new standards.
Natural cork is still considered to be the ultimate seal for wine and champagne for many wine drinkers. With all due respect for tradition, corks do involve numerous problems such as cork taint, which meanwhile occurs in five to ten percent of all corks, causing significant financial losses each year. Cork taint is caused by microorganisms that can enter into the pores of the cork oak after stripping and during storage. Here the microorganisms produce substances such as trichloroanisole (TCA) that can become taste-intensive during the subsequent sterilization process.
Oxygen can exercise further negative influences. Too much oxygen during bottling can negatively influence the aromas and accelerate the aging of the wine in the bottle - to some extent even more than the choice of the best sealing solution.
More than Two Million Bottle Closures per Year
Nomacorc, who claims to be the world's leading producer of synthetic wine corks, supports the international wine business on the one hand with quality closures featuring calculable oxygen management, and on the other with "NomaSense", a new measuring device that can precisely determine the oxygen content. The closures are manufactured using a patented CO extrusion process that yields a calculable, constant oxygen permeability. The foam core ensures optimal flexibility of the closure, while the shell guarantees a reliable seal. In addition, the closures protect against undesirable flavours resulting from oxidation, reduction or cork taint. According to Nomacorc the corks are 100 percent recyclable. Currently more than two billion wine closures are produced annually in the company's state-of-the-art production facilities in the USA, Belgium, Austria and China.
Nomacorc's company history began ten years ago with wine lovers' search for a solution to corked wine. In 2009 Nomacorc manufactured its ten billionth cork, which found its way into a bottle from Cantele vineyard in Italy. Even in the crisis-torn second half of the year 2009 the company managed to maintain a double-digit growth rate. Their corks are considered to be the leading wine closures in Germany, France, the USA and many other countries around the globe.
New Measuring Device for Bottling
In June of this year Nomacorc introduced the latest development stage of its "NomaSense" brand to the market. "NomaSense O2 Prime" was especially developed to measure the oxygen supply during the bottling process. Both "O2 Prime" and the original "NomaSense" are said to set wine industry standards in terms of precise, non-invasive, portable oxygen analyzers. With quickly ascertainable measurements of oxygen traces from approximately 1 ppb to roughly 50 ppm, the system as a full version is ideal for quality control in every step of the wine production process. An easily readable display delivers fast and reliable measurements on the amount of oxygen present - both dissolved in the wine and in gas form in the bottle headroom.
"Oxygen management during the entire process - from delivery of the wine to bottling - is decidedly important in our work," states Sebastien Steinfort, Production Director at Paul Sapin, a prestigious vineyard in southern Burgundy. "Starting in 2010 our bottling facilities will be equipped with NomaSense."
Stephan Grappe, oenologist and Technical Director at Wolfberger in Elsass, also appears to be satisfied: "We use NomaSense in every step of wine production - during pressing, fermenting and maturation. We also have a second, more industrial application for these devices during bottling of the wines that we call 'tiré bouché' - wines that mature in the bottle for two to three years."
Top Wines from China
Since October of this year, Nomacorc is cooperating with China's largest wine enterprise: COFCO Wines & Spirits Co. Ltd., with the goal of collaboratively promoting technological innovations in the Chinese wine industry. China is playing an increasingly important role in worldwide wine trade. COFCO is internationally known for their "Great Wall" wine portfolio that is available in more than 20 countries, for example in Germany, France, Great Britain and Japan, and has already garnered awards in numerous international competitions. Nomacorc plans to equip COFCO vineyards with the co-extruded synthetic wine closures and support them in oenological issues. It is also planned to use "NomaSense" measuring devices in the bottling process.
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