An Australian company, Guala Closures Australia, together with glass manufacturer O-I, have come up with an innovative way to cap sparkling wines: a screw-cap. The screw-cap, named Viiva, has replaced the traditional cork top, in the Trevi range and Willowglen sparkling wines.
The drawbacks to the screw-cap are obvious. We will miss the sense of achievement of opening the cork bottle and we will certainly miss the sense of excitement, celebration and romance of the ‘pop’
we have traditionally heard.
Cork has had a long history in winemaking, and it’s going to take a bit of convincing to change customers’ current perception of cork as being superior. However, there are surprisingly many benefits
for the screw-cap top:
1. Ease
the most obvious advantage is the ease of opening a screw-cap as opposed to a cork-top.
2. Safety
No injuries or broken furniture from projectile corks. This is not as silly as it sounds. How many near misses or accidents have occurred
due to popping corks?
3. Easier to re-seal after opening
Just like you would open and close a bottle of sparkling water, you can now do the same with sparkling wines. So convenient!
4. Retain carbonation
The re-sealability of the bottles retains the carbonation, and therefore taste, of the sparkling wine for weeks.
5. Storage
The nature of the cap gives the option to lay the bottle on its side after opening. Another convenient feature.
6. Waste-wise
With the cork cap, consumers who only want a glass or two, will start the bottle and because of the poor carbonation in the remaining portion over the next few days, the rest may get wasted.
7. Alcohol intake
This innovative cap may actually help people to drink responsibly, as it could avoid the temptation of finishing the bottle, “since it’s no good tomorrow” and avoid having ‘one too many.’
Overall
So, what do you think? Is the screw-cap a good idea?
I know, I know, there’s no ‘pop’.
But until someone comes up with a screw-top
with built-in sound effects to create a ‘pop’ sound…
Hey, now there’s another great Ozzie idea!