From Cork To Screwcap, Spier’s Wine Closures Explained

The most widely used closure for wine has always been natural cork. Today, that’s still true, but there are a variety of alternatives that wineries, including ours, use.

What determines which closure gets used?

A closure can tell a lot about the wine it holds, from cellaring to style.

Primarily, the closure determines whether or not the wine can develop further in the bottle. Cork is a natural product with a porous composition that allows the wine to “breathe” by allowing small amounts of oxygen to permeate through to react with the wine over time. This transforms the flavour and aroma, and is ideal when you want to bottle age wine like the reds in our 21 Gables range which will get better with time.

Screwcaps and cans are ideal for wines that are meant to be enjoyed soon.

Is a screwcap an indication of lesser quality wine?

Not at all! There are many benefits to screwcaps: it is recyclable, easy to open, and offers consistent quality. Because there is less oxygen interaction in comparison to a cork, screwcaps keeps the wine as ‘fresh’ as the day it was bottled.

The international recognition awarded to many of our screwcapped wines is a testament to the top quality this closure can deliver. The 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2016 won the Chenin Blanc Trophy and the 21 Gables Sauvignon Blanc 2017 received the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2018.

What’s that wire cage on top of the MCC all about?

It’s called a muselet. As anyone who’s in charge of opening a bottle of bubbly knows, there’s a considerable amount of pressure in the bottle. The muselet is there to ensure the cork doesn’t pop out before you intend for it to.

What made you decide to start offering wines in cans?

We’re constantly finding ways to tread more lightly on the earth, and aluminium cans guarantee top quality with green credentials.

Not only do cans retain all the aromas and flavours that our wines are renowned for, but are infinitely recyclable and have a smaller carbon footprint than glass bottles.

They are terrific for on-the-go adventures like camping or picnics; light and compact and therefore much easier to stack, pack and carry than bottles. There’s also no risk of broken glass.