Aluminum screw cup: why we chose it
Here at Podere il Casale we are always very attentive to innovations, especially those that can help the environment and reflect our philosophy.
For those who don’t know us, our story begins in 1991, when Ulisse and Sandra decided to live in Podere il Casale in 1991. Il Casale is a farm located in the heart of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, where step by step, year after year we have seen our dream come true: to achieve food independence capable of guaranteeing the production of good food, clean and fair, for the family and for future guests. Now everything revolves around the preservation of nature and the creation of a circular and sustainable economy.
So for some time now we have begun to wonder about the use of cork stoppers in our bottles and the recycling potential of aluminum screw caps.
Of course, some of you will turn up your nose: a common aluminum cap brings our imagination to a mediocre quality wine, which is found in the supermarket rather than a quality product. The cork stopper has been used for centuries and is therefore part of our daily lives, we like the consistency of the stopper, the ritual of uncorking it, touching it and keeping it.
Why did we choose the screw cap then?
On the other hand, the romantic aspect of the rite of uncorking cannot be overlooked, which is very dear to wine lovers. Despite the aesthetic aspect, however, the aluminum cap brings enormous advantages, let’s see together what the reasons are.
- The screw cap is ecological: in fact, aluminum is practically infinitely recyclable. The recycling of this material is very convenient: it costs less than extracting it and today in Italy over 70% of aluminum is recycled and reused.
This is supported by EAFA (European Aluminum Foil Association), the European association that brings together producers of aluminum closures, which underlines that this also applies to aluminum screw caps which are used for wine, water and spirits
- The convenience of a comfortable closure that totally eliminates the risk of the cork breaking or tasting like a cork (caused by a fungus, Armillaria Mellea). You can open the bottle with only the help of your hands, a very simple and comfortable gesture. Although it is undeniable that the cork stopper represents a symbol, a romantic icon inextricably linked to oenology, cork plants are risking extinction and cork extraction is increasingly difficult.
- Greater export: wine producers in Italy mainly use cork stoppers both for reasons related to our tradition and because our country, together with Portugal, is one of the largest cork producers in the world. This new use facilitates the export of our wines abroad. In fact, in Anglo-Saxon countries such as England, New Zealand and Australia, the screw cap is the most popular and is not considered a symbol of poor quality wines.
- The lower use of sulfur dioxide during the bottling process. According to some tests, the screw closure would allow a less rapid aging of the wine because the micro-oxygenation process typical of the cork stopper would not occur. Furthermore, in this way, the sulphites, also used as preservatives, could be reduced.
Several tastings in Italy have focused on how the screw cap keeps the organoleptic characteristics of the wine unchanged at least as much as the cork.
That’s why Podere il Casale also decided to choose the aluminum closure. An increasingly sustainable ecology is possible and we are waiting for you at our farm to let you taste our wines!
