Academy prizes awarded

A student from Bordeaux, Paulo Lopes, won the 2006 Amorim Academy Grand Prix last November for his work titled Oxidation phenomena during the ageing of bottled wine — the role of the stopper.

His thesis shows that contact between wine and oxygen plays an important part in wine ageing and therefore the choice of closure is critical.

Lopes found that high oxygen ingress, as exhibited by synthetic closures, can result in oxidised aromas. On the other hand, too low oxygen ingress, as shown by screwcap closures, promotes the development of sulfide-like aromas.

Natural cork closures displayed intermediate oxygen ingress, suggesting they are more suitable for wine development post bottling.

The Amorim Academy's ‘Coup de Coeur’ prize for 2006 was awarded to Gilles Masson for his work on a ‘Rosé wine colour chart’ — a tool to help winemakers define the true colour of rosé wines.

Paulo Lopes (left) accepts the 2006 Amorim Academy Grand Prix prize from Joaquim Amorim.

NATO funds forest study

A study funded by NATO will investigate pesticide contamination in cork forests in North Africa.

The three-year €380,000 study involves scientists from Scotland, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and Italy.

Pesticide contamination is thought to be a possible cause of TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) taint in cork.

“The cork industry is important to the North African economy and it is essential that the 'cork taint' problem is investigated both to support the use of real cork by the wine industry and to help protect biodiversity in the Mediterranean coastline,” said professor Andrew Hursthouse, a member of the project team.

Faults with wines sealed under screwcap were a concern at the 2006 International Wine Challenge

Screwcap faults a concern

Judges at last year's International Wine Challenge (IWC) suggested problems with wines sealed under screwcap may have been underestimated in the past.

IWC chairman Sam Harrop said he was concerned about the incidence of taint amongst screwcap-sealed wines, while noting a decline in problems with wine under cork.

Over 13,000 wines were tasted blind at the IWC, the biggest wine competition in the world. Judges found faults with 2.2 per cent of wine under screwcap, while 2.8 per cent of the wine was affected by taint relating to cork.

In the September edition of British publication Off Licence News (OLN), Harrop said there was a possibility problems associated with cork taint may have been over-inflated in the past, or perhaps the work of cork companies to improve quality was starting to filter through.

“It's quite alarming to find that some of the other faults that have been around in the past are almost as bad as cork taint. While we've been raving about cork taint, all these other issues have been ignored,” Harrop said in the OLN article.

Consensus on closures

During the OIV Congress in Spain last year the Amorim Academy presented the conclusions of three panels studying the impact of wine closures on the consumer, the environment and wine development.

As far as the consumer is concerned, the panel suggested the image of wine quality was linked to cork. On wine development, the panel determined that for long-term cellaring, cork is a safer option. Cork was also a clear winner in terms of the impact closures have on the environment.

For further information on the Amorim Academy visit www.academie-amorim.com

ROSA reward in Spain

Amorim has been acknowledged for its development of ROSA Evolution at ENOMAQ 2007 — the International Show of Winery and Bottling Machinery and Equipment held in Zaragoza, Spain recently.

Staged every three years, ENOMAQ is one of the most important international wine trade shows with an emphasis on showcasing new technology and production methods.

Amorim received the ENOMAQ prize for ‘technical innovation’ for its work in developing ROSA Evolution — a refinement of the steam-distillation process that has proven to be highly effective in the fight against 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA).

Wineries display cork mark

More wineries are choosing to highlight their choice of closure on product packaging by displaying the ‘Cork Mark’ developed by the European Cork Federation (C.E. Liège).

Quinta de Couselo winery in Galicia, Spain — which traces its history back to 12th century Cistercian monks and has been run by the Vicente family since 1898 — has included the Cork Mark on the labels of its 2006 vintage wines.

And in England, the award-winning organic vineyard, Sedlescombe, is now displaying the Cork Mark on its range of organic red, white and sparkling wines. A statement by the winery said it would “continue to use cork as a way of supporting the unique ecosystem of the Portuguese cork forest and the livelihood of the people working there.”

The Cork Mark was created as an international symbol to identify cork products or products that incorporate natural cork.

More wineries are highlighting their choice of closure by displaying the Cork Mark on packaging.