Technical corks are manufactured corks, usually combining a body of agglomerated natural cork granules and fine natural cork discs that come in contact with the wine. Because they make very efficient use of the natural raw material, technical corks have greatly increased the supply of high quality corks at competitive prices. Amorim produces several kinds of technical corks including champagne corks for champagne and other sparkling wines and Twin Top® for short to medium term storage of still wines. It also produces Neutrocork®, a high-tech stopper for early-drinking still wines and light sparkling wines.
For information on the manufacture of technical corks, click on any of the production stages shown at left.
Twin Top performance Introduced in 1997, Twin Top® is among the most successful technical corks developed. Based on the highly successful champagne cork technology, it has a granulated body with a disk of high-quality natural cork at each end. Twin Top® is manufactured at Amorim's specialist production facility at Coruche in the south of Portugal. With capacity to produce over one billion corks a year, it is the world's largest cork factory. Unlike synthetic alternatives to natural cork, Twin Top® retains much of the tradition and quality that wine consumers typically associate with cork. While not recommended for long-term cellaring of wine, Twin Top® has gained acceptance with many leading wineries due to its reputation as a high-quality seal with very low incidences of cork-related taint. The performance of Amorim's Twin Top® technical cork has been enhanced by the application of the ROSA steam distillation treatment, Amorim's proprietary TCA-extraction process introduced in late 2003. Routine testing of Twin Top® corks by ETS Laboratories in the USA and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, confirm average taint levels to be below detectable levels. Independent research by European and Australian laboratories has established Twin Top® as a top performer on all key parameters for storage of wine for up to two years. In a trial undertaken by the Australian Wine Research Institute, Twin Top® outperformed a large field of synthetic stoppers on parameters such as oxidation, ease of extraction and preservation of fruit attributes.
More than five years into the Australian trial, the wine bottled under Twin Top® showed good retention of sulfur dioxide and no sign of either the reduced characters evident under the ROTE-sealed wine or premature oxidation evident under synthetic stoppers.
The outstanding sealing ability of Twin Top® was confirmed in a study by the University of Bordeaux 2 in which Twin Top® demonstrated very low and consistent rates of oxygen ingress compared to other closures.
Champagne stoppers
Amorim produces champagne stoppers at a modern facility in the north of Portugal called Amorim Champagne. The plant is capable of producing 450 million closures a year.
The company's champagne cork brands include the popular SPARK® closure and ChampCork®.
The Spark® stopper has achieved worldwide recognition for bottling the most prestigious champagnes and sparkling wines.
A result of intense scientific and technological research, the Spark® stopper has the highest levels of physical, chemical and enological performance.
Its excellent mechanical behaviour and ease of use in bottling make it an essential partner for champagne and sparkling wines.
Neutrocork®
Neutrocork® is the latest addition to Amorim's portfolio of high quality cork closures.
A high-tech, competitively priced stopper, Neutrocork® is designed for early-drinking still wines, light sparkling wines and beer.
Since its launch in 2001, winemakers have embraced Neutrocork® as a natural cork alternative to synthetic stoppers.
With a consistent diameter and regular shape, Neutrocork® creates an excellent seal and performs well on the bottling line and on the shelf. Its smooth good looks also make it attractive to consumers.
Because Neutrocork® is individually moulded from fine cork granules of uniform size, it shows very little variation in diameter. This increases production efficiency and so reduces the cost to winemakers — an essential characteristic for a stopper in the price-sensitive, high-turnover market sector.
All granules used in Neutrocork® are made from stopper-quality corkwood and treated with Amorim's proprietary ROSA process to minimise the risk of off-flavours.
A recent trial by the University of Bordeaux 2 found that Neutrocork® had consistently low rates of oxygen transmission. Its performance in this important area is far superior to synthetic closures, which allow oxygen to pass into the bottle at a relatively high rate, potentially leading to undesirable 'oxidised' characters.
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