Since they started becoming widespread in use I have captured the closure data of a bottle (if not natural cork) in my tasting notes. What I have noticed is that particularly with composite cork or screwcaps rarely are they clearly branded in a way that allows one to assess that particular closure across different bottlings and/or over time. Diam clearly brands as does Stelvin, normally with the particular closure type in their offering lineup noted as well (e.g., Diam10).
For those who might be closer to this aspect of the industry, why wouldn’t other alternative closure producers brand more clearly? I can see some potential for winery push back as regards confusion or clutter. But it’s more and more widely recognized that the closure counts. Knowing the brand and type could help raise consumer awareness of qualitative closure differences. And perhaps become a selling point for wineries who use the “preferred consumer choice.”
I don’t think most consumers would care who printed the label or who the glass manufacturer was. But the closure is so integral to the quality of the wine that I’d think people would start to pay attention were more granular information available. Any thoughts from those “in the know”?
I suppose putting your brand on the closure is like Intel Inside on a computer. The traditional corks that expensive wineries use can run up to $2 each…maybe more! Would a winery like Harlan appreciate a cork company putting its own brand on the cork??
There are some wineries that don’t want us to put our brand on the barrel. Some think that’s doing free advertising for us. Others think they have a special secret they don’t want to share.
I see this a slightly different way - and perhaps it would be more helpful for consumers. If a winery chooses to use a DIAM instead of natural cork, they should proudly state that they do so. One cannot tell under the foil, assuming the winery uses foil, but it may impact the purchase decision. And wineries that use DIAMs usually do so specifically to reduce the possibility of TCA infected wines and are proud to do so.
Agreed. My favorite producers from Oregon like Goodfellow and Walter Scott use Diams exclusively across their entire lineup and I have often wondered why they don’t tout this more. Its an advantage and one that enables me to buy with confidence.