Corks for Still Wine
One of the most commonly discussed and certainly one of the most necessary winemaking supplies is the cork. It is quite literally the last means of control that the winemaker has to lock in the quality that was fought so hard for in the vineyard and the cellar. ENOTOOLS is proud to be your wine cork supplier through our exclusive Eastern agency with Amorim Cork America.
With its presence in multiple industries, Amorim represents over fifty percent of the total wine cork business in the world, which equates to over 3 billion corks sold annually in more than 37 countries. Amorim corks are the “gold standard” for quality and performance. The company maintains absolute control over every aspect of manufacturing. As a founding member of the Cork Quality Council (seen here), Amorim maintains their interest in quality of product first.
With its presence in multiple industries, Amorim represents over fifty percent of the total wine cork business in the world, which equates to over 3 billion corks sold annually in more than 37 countries. Amorim corks are the “gold standard” for quality and performance. The company maintains absolute control over every aspect of manufacturing. As a founding member of the Cork Quality Council (seen here), Amorim maintains their interest in quality of product first.
Why Amorim?
Amorim Cork in Portugal is but one of many companies who share a heritage of feeding families while respectfully utilizing the natural resources of such a beautiful and historic nation. The cork forests of Portugal and neighboring countries play a very important role in the survival of migratory birds and reduction of CO2 in our atmosphere. Regulatory standards dictate that the cork trees are grown organically. Amorim Cork is the majority consumer of the natural resource harvested from these live trees and this demand guarantees the preservation of these forests and a way of life for a great people. The laborers who oversee the cork forests and harvest the bark are the highest paid agricultural laborers on the planet.
Through production of the traditional, one- piece natural cork, smaller particles are created for use in technical closures or industrial applications. No piece of the precious raw material is wasted. Left- over cork dust is captured to be blended with debris from the cork forest floor and used to create 65% of the company's electricity.
Impressive R&D efforts at Amorim Cork are constant. The aggressive pursuit of quality and sustainability are not talking points at Amorim. It's how they do business. Amorim Cork conducts tests in the forest and at every stage after the harvest to keep watch on quality. Each 1000 cork bag is checked through seven sampling points and traceable back to one of five trees. This increases the efforts of the forest stewards to ensure that the trees are healthy and ready to volunteer their bark roughly every nine years.
At Amorim Cork, prevention and cure are one in the same. There are many steps required to arrive at quality. Each bark plank is treated as potentially suspect for TCA. Steaming away VOC's which may be precursors to TCA on bark planks before they enter the factory is routine. In a midstream, post- classification process Amorim Cork calls ROSA, there is another layer of quality.
See the article about the Rosa process below.
Amorim Cork in Portugal is but one of many companies who share a heritage of feeding families while respectfully utilizing the natural resources of such a beautiful and historic nation. The cork forests of Portugal and neighboring countries play a very important role in the survival of migratory birds and reduction of CO2 in our atmosphere. Regulatory standards dictate that the cork trees are grown organically. Amorim Cork is the majority consumer of the natural resource harvested from these live trees and this demand guarantees the preservation of these forests and a way of life for a great people. The laborers who oversee the cork forests and harvest the bark are the highest paid agricultural laborers on the planet.
Through production of the traditional, one- piece natural cork, smaller particles are created for use in technical closures or industrial applications. No piece of the precious raw material is wasted. Left- over cork dust is captured to be blended with debris from the cork forest floor and used to create 65% of the company's electricity.
Impressive R&D efforts at Amorim Cork are constant. The aggressive pursuit of quality and sustainability are not talking points at Amorim. It's how they do business. Amorim Cork conducts tests in the forest and at every stage after the harvest to keep watch on quality. Each 1000 cork bag is checked through seven sampling points and traceable back to one of five trees. This increases the efforts of the forest stewards to ensure that the trees are healthy and ready to volunteer their bark roughly every nine years.
At Amorim Cork, prevention and cure are one in the same. There are many steps required to arrive at quality. Each bark plank is treated as potentially suspect for TCA. Steaming away VOC's which may be precursors to TCA on bark planks before they enter the factory is routine. In a midstream, post- classification process Amorim Cork calls ROSA, there is another layer of quality.
See the article about the Rosa process below.
September 1st, 2004Newest Cork- cleaning Treatment Comes to Market
New treatment process promises to further decrease TCA levels, starting with Twin Tops.
by Cryil Penn
Between the day when the corks become the size and shape they need to be and the day that they leave Portugal, there are many steps, because the marketplace demands that Amorim (the world leader in the cork industry) set the bar for quality in beverage closures. This may sound like a canned, marketing department sizzle- statement. But trust the fact that the mass exodus to alternative closures beginning two decades ago was due to the cork industry becoming complacent. Amorim admits that market shift to alternative closures caught them by surprise. As the largest cork company on the planet, Amorim's responsibility was clear to them. They needed to be the force of nature in the industry to bring quality and consistency up to modern manufacturing standards.
Just in the last 15+ years Amorim has spent tens of millions in Euros to:
- Form the Cork Quality Council
- Help to improve upon organic methods for forest stewardship
- Rebuild & revamp bark aging/ storage & handling, bark processing areas to accommodate new, more effective and more efficient processes for identifying, preventing and removing VOC's or TCA precursors in raw materials.
- Dramatically reduced internal tolerances for raw materials eligible for commercial use
- Implement stricter controls, testing methods, testing frequency, and testing equipment to detect TCA
- Realize a 90% reduction in post- manufacture, pre- sorting test failing samples
- Design and implement machines used to test each individual cork for:
- density
- visual appeal
- pressure tolerance
- Develop and implement a new technology called NDTech which TESTS EACH INDIVIDUAL CORK for TCA in specific lots of three types of closures.
- Continue to employ people who are on a constant vigil to always adhere to and improve upon the aggressive pursuit of quality. This includes sensory analysis specialists, engineers, biologists, chemists, ecological and agricultural professionals, and laborers.
This is when it is appropriate to call a manufacturer "The Industry Leader".
See below to learn about individual closures manufactured to the highest standards
by Amorim Cork.
Natural Cork
I'm back !!!!!
Tradition demands a testament to value with the use of a natural cork from Amorim in premium wines.
The Traditional Natural Cork Wine Closure is recommended for reserve and generally higher quality wines which may elude consumption long enough to age in the bottle.
Cork satisfies the expectations of the most discriminating consumers in the market. It is a 100% natural, sustainable, recyclable product and the result of high investment in technology to guarantee that the wine is aged in the best possible conditions. Amorim samples and tests each lot of natural corks a total of seven times between the bark and the bottle.
The Traditional Natural Cork Wine Closure is recommended for reserve and generally higher quality wines which may elude consumption long enough to age in the bottle.
Cork satisfies the expectations of the most discriminating consumers in the market. It is a 100% natural, sustainable, recyclable product and the result of high investment in technology to guarantee that the wine is aged in the best possible conditions. Amorim samples and tests each lot of natural corks a total of seven times between the bark and the bottle.
Twin Top® stopper
The Twin Top® stopper is a technical cork stopper which is far superior to synthetic corks.
With all of the beneficial properties of the natural cork stopper, it continues to satisfy the demands of winemakers looking for a lower cost closure they can trust out to five years.
Comprising an agglomerate body and a disk of natural cork on both ends, it can be used on the same bottling lines as other natural corks. Twin Tops offer an intermediate aging potential, lower extraction force than a synthetic cork, and the same natural- type impression which relays a certain regard for value in your packaging decision to your customer.
Treated at the particle level, Twin Tops have set records at Amorim for recording the lowest occurrence of detectable TCA over the broadest sample. Twin Tops are sampled for TCA testing nine times between bark and bottle.
With all of the beneficial properties of the natural cork stopper, it continues to satisfy the demands of winemakers looking for a lower cost closure they can trust out to five years.
Comprising an agglomerate body and a disk of natural cork on both ends, it can be used on the same bottling lines as other natural corks. Twin Tops offer an intermediate aging potential, lower extraction force than a synthetic cork, and the same natural- type impression which relays a certain regard for value in your packaging decision to your customer.
Treated at the particle level, Twin Tops have set records at Amorim for recording the lowest occurrence of detectable TCA over the broadest sample. Twin Tops are sampled for TCA testing nine times between bark and bottle.
Spark® Stopper
The Spark® stopper has achieved worldwide recognition for serving as the closure for the most prestigious Champagnes and Sparkling Wines. Just think of the premium brand of Champagne you might look for. Chances are, it's an Amorim Champagne cork. State-of-the-art Research and Technology make this closure register as the sparkling wine closure with the highest mechanical, chemical and sensory performance.
We witnessed a batch of these champagne closures being tested for pressure tolerance up to 150 PSI !!! Now that's a closure.
We witnessed a batch of these champagne closures being tested for pressure tolerance up to 150 PSI !!! Now that's a closure.
T-Cork® stopper
The T-Cork® stopper is a natural cork stopper with a range of different caps in plastic, wood and other materials, designed for bottling fortified wines and spirits. Given the alcoholic strength of the drink and the specific nature of the bottle, its function is to provide an efficient seal, easy manual extraction and repeated subsequent re-use. This stopper can be made from natural or micro- agglomerated cork and its behavior is determined by the specific characteristics of each type.
Fear of yellowing had fueled an exodus to synthetic- clad bartops in the past. While not so much the case for Amorim customers, the company listened. Thanks to extra care taken to eliminate dust and a proprietary coating designed to separate cork from liquid, that fear is unwarranted today.
See our full range of Bartop T- Cork capability here.
Fear of yellowing had fueled an exodus to synthetic- clad bartops in the past. While not so much the case for Amorim customers, the company listened. Thanks to extra care taken to eliminate dust and a proprietary coating designed to separate cork from liquid, that fear is unwarranted today.
See our full range of Bartop T- Cork capability here.
Neutrocork® Stoppers
Ask about Neutrocorks for BEER!
Neutrocork is the latest Technical Stopper, a cork product of the new generation. It is suitable for high- volume wines for early consumption.
In almost a decade in the U.S. we have placed hundreds of millions of these closures into the market without complaints. If only bottles were so reliable !!!!!
Our sales are all the proof we need that our Neutrocork has all but removed the synthetic closure from the value- minded winemaker's radar. Thanks to the many quality controls in place at Amorim, These micro- agglomerate closures are a "sleep easy" solution at an unbeatable price.
These closures are the result of exhausting research at Amorim performed to perfect the bonding of particles of cork from 1mm to 2mm in size. The bonding agent is an extensively researched, food grade polymer.
The Neutrocork is mechanically, environmentally and philosophically far superior to synthetic corks. The key characteristics are:
In almost a decade in the U.S. we have placed hundreds of millions of these closures into the market without complaints. If only bottles were so reliable !!!!!
Our sales are all the proof we need that our Neutrocork has all but removed the synthetic closure from the value- minded winemaker's radar. Thanks to the many quality controls in place at Amorim, These micro- agglomerate closures are a "sleep easy" solution at an unbeatable price.
These closures are the result of exhausting research at Amorim performed to perfect the bonding of particles of cork from 1mm to 2mm in size. The bonding agent is an extensively researched, food grade polymer.
The Neutrocork is mechanically, environmentally and philosophically far superior to synthetic corks. The key characteristics are:
- Structural Integrity
- Still looks like a cork
- Budget Friendly (Read: "Affordable")
- Renewable Resource Utilization
- Lighter Extraction than Synthetics (50% less)
- Reinsertability
- Much Lower Sulfur Loss Than Synthetics
- Much Lower Oxygen Entry (contact us for a copy of the Oxygen Transfer Rate study)
Aquamark Corks
From the Natural Corks family, these corks, go under a set of cosmetic transformations to improve their performance during bottling and appearance at extraction.
The manufacturing process delivers a very cost effective alternative to the high grades of traditional natural corks to help keep you on the winning team of winemakers using real cork; At a lower cost.
The manufacturing process delivers a very cost effective alternative to the high grades of traditional natural corks to help keep you on the winning team of winemakers using real cork; At a lower cost.
And don't forget the capsules!!!!
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