Is the ZORK wine bottle closure better than screw caps?
Once again the Age of Technology has provided us with an upgrade to wine bottle closures. Cork was the first and, arguably, the best. Then came synthetic corks and screw caps. The classy Stelvin screw caps found their way to seal many mid-priced wines, while corks continue to dominate the serious wines intended for cellaring.
A new closure is now hitting the market and shows very promising early reviews. It is attractive, easy to open without any opening device, and provides an excellent post-opening cap that is easily applied and easily removed.
Wine Bottle Closure Invented in Australia
The ZORK closure, invented in Australia, features all the conveniences of a screw cap and the celebration of a cork - without the corkscrew - and is a perfect alternative to a screw cap. It delivers consistent protection, attractive appearance, and re-sealability. Independent consumer research ranked ZORK in the top 3 of 7 available wine bottle closures, ahead of screw cap and cork.
The ZORK closure provides excellent protection to ensure a wine's integrity with a superior oxygen barrier and a predictable oxygen transmission rate similar to a screw cap. ZORK has the convenience of screw cap and the pop of a cork!
Zork Provides a Fim Seal
The ZORK closure is easily removed by hand. You remove the tear tab to break the seal and pull out the ZORK. It pops like a cork when extracted and can be conveniently resealed after use. This is its primary benefit for the consumer, who often fusses with swollen corks to reseal their bottles. The ZORK provides a firm seal that is easily removed. And it is 100% recyclable and coded to international standards.
The ZORK closure is designed for use on existing bottling lines and intended for use on mid-grade wines retailing in the $15-35 range. We think it is likely to extend downward to the lower priced wines since it obviates the need for a lead capsule and may be competitive with screw caps. Higher end wines will likely stick to the traditional cork closures even though both screw caps and ZORK are known to provide a more reliable seal and offer the assurance of no cork taint, which occurs in about 5% of cork sealed wines.
We've long been impressed with screw cap seals, especially for wines held in the short term - that means roughly 90% of all wine sold in the USA and probably worldwide. But ZORK offers an improvement, both in performance and appearance. So we recommend it to wineries and hope they will offer their customers this novel, attractive, and convenient option.
