Closure is a term used in the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

industry to refer to a

stopper Stopper may refer to: * Bung, a plug used to stop the opening of a container ** Laboratory rubber stopper, a specific type of bung * Plug (sanitation), used to stop a drainage outlet * Defender (association football), in soccer (association footba ...

, the object used to seal a bottle and avoid harmful contact between the wine and

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

.winepros.com.au. They include: * Traditional natural

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

closures (' corks'); *

alternative wine closures Alternative wine closures are substitute closures used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures. The emergence of these alternatives has grown in response to quality control efforts by winemakers to pr ...

, such as

screw cap A screw cap or closure is a common type of closure for bottles, jars, and tubes. Usage A screw closure is a mechanical device which is screwed on and off of a "finish" on a container. Either continuous threads or lugs are used. It must be engi ...

s, synthetic closures, glass closures. * Historical applications no longer in use, such as wooden stoppers with cloth or wax The choice of closure depends on issues such as the risk of

cork taint Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening. Though modern studies have sh ...

, oxygen permeability and desired life of the wine. Another factor is consumer reaction, with the wine-buying public in Australia and New Zealand positive to alternative closures, while opinion is divided among consumers of the United States. In Europe, perceptions that associate screw caps with low-quality wine may be declining. Synthetic wine bottle closures may allow for a controlled oxygen transfer rate.Impact of post-bottling oxygen exposure on the sensory characteristics and phenolic composition of Grenache rosé wines. J. Wirth, S. Caillé, J.M. Souquet, A. Samson, J.B. Dieval, S. Vidal, H. Fulcrand and V. Cheynier, Food Chemistry, 15 June 2012, Volume 132, Issue 4, Pages 1861–1871, 6th International Conference on Water in Food, Some natural cork closures may be "easy open, easy recork", removing the need for a corkscrew.

References

External links

The Oeneo Closures Debate 2006
with Peter Ferriera, John Forrest, Peter Godden, Terry Lee and Jamie Goode Wine packaging and storage {{drinkware-stub

See also

References

External links