Alcoa and P.J. Valckenberg

Winemakers at Germany#s world-renowned P.J. Valckenberg Estate find it frustrating to know that wine corks will destroy a portion of their product each year. Vintage wine - literally poured down the drain because it became tainted by TCA, a mold and chlorine compound noticeable only after a bottle is opened.

Winemakers at Germany#s world-renowned P.J. Valckenberg Estate find it frustrating to know that wine corks will destroy a portion of their product each year. Vintage wine - literally poured down the drain because it became tainted by TCA, a mold and chlorine compound noticeable only after a bottle is opened. The cork taint problem is industry-wide with experts estimating TCA ruins between 3 and 10 % of the world#s wine production. For years, though, vintners have struggled with the predicament of providing a safe alternative to wine corks while keeping wine aficionados happy. Wine connoisseurs often turn up their noses to screw caps and synthetic corks viewing them as a sign of low quality. Instead of getting caught up in this bottleneck, Alcoa Closure Systems International developed a solution that appears classy enough for the most sophisticated taste and practical enough to use industry-wide. CSI#s innovative glass closure for wine bottles looks like a decorative decanter stopper and is guaranteed to hold firmly in the bottle opening. Made with rubberized O-rings, the glass stopper provides a sterile seal. In addition, CSI#s solution allows the bottle to be resealed repeatedly and is completely recyclable. P.J. Valckenberg, Germany#s oldest family-owned wine merchant with two centuries of experience bottling and exporting wine, used CSI#s glass stopper on one of its best dry wines, the 2003 Wormser Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken. Knowing that wine collectors balk at screw caps and that plastic corks aren#t ideal for aging wine, the P.J. Valckenberg winemakers were excited to benefit from CSI#s innovative solution. CSI colored the glass stopper to match P.J. Valckenberg#s bottle and labeled it to promote the winery - all for the same price as a good cork. Consumers are benefiting as well. The glass bottle stopper eliminates the need for a corkscrew.