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.

Nomacorc, which 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.

Co-extrusion process
The closures are manufactured using a patented co-extrusion process that yields 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.

The process consists of two stages: First, raw materials are mixed, melted, and extruded to create a long, foamed cylinder, forming the closure's core. Then a second extrusion process applies a flexible outer skin, which is thermally bonded to the inner cylinder. The shape is stabilized in cooling water before our high-speed cutting operation cuts the closures to the proper length. The closures are then sent to the finishing department where precision printing and coating equipment apply a proprietary surface treatment and customer specific printing.

The elastic outer skin on ensures that no leakage occurs during bottling or storage. This flexible skin also provides support and protection during the bottling process. For the consumer, the Nomacorc skin replicates the look and feel of natural cork.

The combination of this patented co-extrusion manufacturing process and the specific materials used, is responsible for creating closures that have optimal extraction force performance, which is critical in ensuring proper bottling line behaviour as well as ease of removal and reinsertion of the closure for consumers.

According to Nomacorc, the corks are 100 percent recyclable. Currently more than two million 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
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