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Capsules winning out over cork?

As problems with ‘cork taint’ continue to plague the wine industry, Kendall-Jackson is expanding its use of ROPP aluminum capsules.

ROTARY CAPPER. This eight-head capper feeds ROPP closures from a hopper onto the bottles and uses a pressure block inside each
ROTARY CAPPER. This eight-head capper feeds ROPP closures from a hopper onto the bottles and uses a pressure block inside each

Director of packaging Michael Gribben at Kendall-Jackson Winery is a big believer in screw-cap closures for wine.

“The wine never goes bad,” he says. “On the other hand, anywhere from three to ten percent of bottles closed with natural cork go bad, depending on how the bottles are stored and the length of time they’re stored.”

Kendall-Jackson, based in Fulton, CA, sources its screw-cap closures from both Alcan Capsules of California (www.alcanpackaging.com) and G-3 Enterprises (www.g-3enterprises.com). The closures consist of an aluminum alloy and a liner with as many as seven layers, including polyethylene and polyvinylidene chloride. When asked about the cost of the screw cap compared to the traditional cork plus capsule, Gribben said it’s about a wash.

When Kendall-Jackson first began using screw-cap closures, it did so by relying on an outside contractor. Wine was shipped in tanks to the contractor for filling and capping. But within a year, it was time for a change.

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