Wine Bottle - Research Paper Example

Introduction Since the 17the century wine bottles have been closed by the traditional cork closures which are obtained by processing the bark of thecork tree. Portugal is the biggest exporter of the wine cork closures and its economy is highly based on this primary export. Wine bottle closures are highly important to seal the bottle so that the wine is not affected by the damaging property of the oxygen in the atmosphere although a very little amount of oxygen is still required to be trespassed in to the bottle which is helpful for the wine to reach its potential. The corks are not perfect enough to block all of the oxygen which serves the purpose but they are fallible too which can result in crumbling, breaking, leaking and also, forming the corked wine. It has been found that 5-10% of the wine bottles from the merchant’s shelf are corked. The cork closure provides the ceremonial tradition of opening the wine bottle with the popping action. Synthetic and screw cap closures are used as alternatives to the cork closures. The synthetic closures are not successful since they too pass the plastic taints to the wine. Screw Cap closures which are made of aluminium alloy casing which forms the outer layer of the closure with an inner lining of expanded polyethylene which air tights the bottle on compression. Screw cap closures are better wine closures than the cork ones and are also, comparatively expensive due to the material used in them but this expense is lower than the loss incurred due to the corked wines by the cork closures. The viability of wine aging for screw caps is a question that needs to be investigated and answered. So far, screw caps serve as the best wine closures as they eradicate the problems of oxidation, cork taint, leakage, breaking and crumbling. Despite the benefits of the screw caps over corks, wine producers fear that the screw caps might not be accepted by the wide majority of the customers/consumers due to the tradition and myths attached with the cork closures. The premier burgundy wine makers from France, Louis Jadot are contemplating to switch their wine cork closures to screw caps and thus, are determined to investigate about the impact on customer demand and acceptance of their wine with the new closure as it will increase the wine quality. Therefore, this paper will provide a detailed research on whether or not the increase in wine stability by the decrease in “cork taint” is offset by a decrease in customer demand due to a lack of acceptance of the new closures which will help Louis Jadot wine vintners in deciding whether or not to replace their wine corks with the screw caps. Source 1: IMBIBE (2008). Cork Vs Screw Cap: What’s All the Fuss About? Retrieved July 03, 2010, from http://www.paumanok.com/IB12_44-49.pdf As the title of the paper from the above source suggests, it provides all the arguments and discussions related to the costs and benefits of corks and screw caps on comparison to one another. The paper declares that the cork has become the much heated topic in the community of wine vintners. It further identifies that cork closure on the wine is as important as a cherry on the cake since it portrays the century’s old tradition. The celebrations will get colorless with out the squeak and pop sound of the wine bottle created by the traditional cork closure only. It has been confirmed in the source that the natural cork closures are disregarded by the wine makers only due to the phenomena of corked wine that they cause. The paper also referenced an article from the Wine Spectator written by their most respected writer which states that cork is highly praised due to its aging potential that has been well observed. The source also cites the words of the Kareem Massoud, the winemaker of Long Island’s Paumanok Vineyards, as “Corks are a great closure for wine except for the fact that they can ruin it”. The source then defends the cork to be blamed for the wines getting taint since the real culprit found through thorough investigations is the chemical compound called trichloranisole (TCA). The corks are cleaned with chlorine which later forms TCA in the cork. TCA can also propagate in the barrels which contain wine prior to bottling, thus the corks can not be blamed alone. On the other hand screw caps are not vulnerable to TCA and thus, provide protection to wine from getting taint. Screw caps also protect the wine from oxidation which some wineries consider as an aide towards better aging of the wine while the others argue that a very little oxygen passed by the natural cork develops better taste in wine due to the better aging process. Also, the taste for the same wine contained in different bottles closed with the traditional corks will vary from bottle to bottle. The paper concludes in the end that although a lot of wine makers are embracing screw caps due to their features, it will take a while that the consumer accepts these closures which do not portray the culture and the ritual attached with the wine. Source 2: R. Garcia, P. Rummel, J. Hause (2007). Validating Agent Based Marketing Models Using Conjoint Analysis, Journal of Business Research. Retrieved July 03, 2010, from http://web.mit.edu/hauser/www/Papers/ValidatingAgent-basedMarketingModels.pdf Although the source is related to the validating Agent Based Marketing Models using conjoint analysis, it also provides a case study of the New Zealand wine factory which has been used as the development model for the source paper. In this research of the wine bottle closures, only the case study part from the source is used which cites that 2-15% of all the wine bottles in New Zealand that use the traditional cork closures are infected by the cork taint because of the poor quality of the cork closures which tends the wine to lose its flavor (Sogg, 2005). Mostly, the consumer in unable to realize that the poor flavor is because of the cork taint and he/she instead accuses the brand or the wine making company for the poor taste of the wine due to which the wine manufactures loses it clientele and also incurs the loss due to the replacement of the bottle. The solution to overcome this problem is to replace the cork with the screw cap closure which has been found to eradicate not only the cork taint but also the crumbling and leakage associated with the cork closures (Murray and Lockshin, 1997). Moreover, the source reveals that screw caps carry out the aging process of the wine steadily which develops the wine as per the intentions of its maker (Courtney, 2001). The source further references that 20 million wine bottles in Australia and New Zealand were sealed with the screw caps during 1976 till 1980 (Courtney, 2001) but by the end of 1984 the Australian wine makers stopped using the screw caps due to the negative feedback from the consumers regarding it. Despite the introductory failures, wine makers have not yet completely given up on this innovation due to the benefits of screw caps over cork closures, particularly in the case of white wine. The source also provides the insights of the collaborative marketing campaign with the name, “Riesling with a Twist” conducted by the Australian wineries that was initiated with the objective of promoting the screw cap usage in the wine making industry by making the media, retailers and consumers aware of its benefits. Source 3: W. Murray, L. S. Lockshin, (1993) "Consumer Acceptance of Synthetic Corks", International Journal of Wine Marketing, Vol. 9 Iss: 1, pp.31 - 52 The source depicts that the key problem associated with the usage of the screw caps as wine closures has been found to be the lack of acceptance by the consumers regarding this alternative. The source employed a research which involved interviews and surveys carried on 200 wine shoppers from Australia. The study was aimed to determine the consumers’ point of view on the problems associated with the corks along with the several issues related to the use of synthetic corks as the wine closures and the possible solutions to the identified issues. The interviews and the surveys found that the consumers, who bought more than one wine bottle, over the period of a week, experienced the most problems related to the natural corks. In particular, the 75% of all the consumers who were interviewed experienced these problems in the last 12 months. The gathered data provided the most vital information that was required to convince the consumer to accept the other available alternatives to the traditional cork closure. Source 4: J. Rosen (2006). The Cork Jesters Guide to Wine: An Entertaining Companion for Tasting It, Ordering It and Enjoying It. U.S.A.: Clerisy Press. The source is a book written in the form of a guide which provides all the necessary steps and knowledge that are required to determine the taste of the wine. The book reveals several features that make a good wine. Out of these several features, one is the seal or the closure of the wine bottle that protects the original flavor of the wine from outer influences such as oxidation and foreign aromas of the products that are kept near the wine. The book reveals the different types of the seals for the wine bottles that were used in the history which included wedges of wood, clay plugs and simple olive oil just floating on the surface of the wine but non of these were successful in keeping the air out of the wine and thus, the flavor of the wine was often amalgamated with the flavors of the spices, honey, pine resins, etc. With the invention of the bottles being used for storing the wine - the rags, wood and occasionally, old cork pieces were used as the closures for the wine bottles. Then the Portuguese innovated the cork closure in the early 1800s. The cork must be kept wet for the seal to be perfect which means that the bottles were required to be laid down on their sides. When the bottle is kept in the standing position, then the cork shrinks which lets the air enter the wine bottle. Moreover, a good seal causes the wine to age longer. The cork sometimes crumbles when it dries. These corks undoubtedly sealed the wine and protected it from the outer elements but what about the cork itself. The wine is not protected from the cork which on rare occasions affects the flavor of the wine by making the cork taint due to the bacteria, called TCA that is found in the corks. With the help of the French invention of using ionized polymers which absorbs the tainted molecules present in the wine, this problem can be solved. The procedure takes up to an hour and costs above $ 60 to completely treat one wine bottle. Ziploc baggie can also be used for the same purpose. Screw caps can provide a better seal for the wine bottle with no tainting effect. Screw cap completely air tights the bottle which is feasible for the white wine but not for the red wine since it requires breathing some oxygen through the cork to age properly. Screw caps are easy to open which do not serves the tradition of wine opening with a popping sound. Source 5: D. Rivard (2009). The Ultimate Fruit Winemakers Guide: The Complete Reference Manual for All Fruit Winemakers. U.S.A: Bachchus Enterprise Ltd. The source book is a complete reference manual for all fruit wine makers, which provides all the insights of the wine making process. It is stated in the book that cork machines are a major source of contamination to the wine. As a precaution, before and after every cork sealing of the bottle, these units need to be completely dismantled and then cleaned. The biological problems can be reduced by misting the jaws of the corker with Ethanol. Furthermore, the source agrees with the notion that cork closures have the potential of contaminating the wine which is a major issue in the wine industry for the wine makers. Also, the cork closures lead to bottle leaking, loss of credibility and replacement call due to the effect of cork taint by these corks. So, high quality of cork closures must be acquired from the reliable source to prevent such problems from taking place. The probability of the cork problems can be reduced by buying the bleached and sterilized corks. It is also important to know the moisture content of the corks when shipped and also, to know whether or not the corks remain sterile in the wine maker’s cellar. Source 6: P. Spahni (2000). The international wine trade. England: Woodhead Publishing. The source focuses on the traits of international trade of wine and as part of the subject, it also emphasizes on the type of the closure used to seal the bottle of the wine. The better the quality and type of the closure used, the better the flavor and taste would be of the wine. The source approves that the screw cap is the best choice amongst its other counterparts used for closing the wine bottle for preserving the flavor of the wine. The available closures for the wine bottle include natural corks, screw caps and synthetic corks. Screw caps are superior than natural and synthetic corks in terms of quality, cost and for serving the purpose of perfectly sealing the wine bottle. Screw caps are able to prevent cork tainting of the wine, crumbling, leakage and breakage of the seal but they are widely not accepted by the consumers due to which wine makers have not completely adapted their usage as they fear that they will lose their potential clientele. Some of those wineries who have adapted the screw caps usage to close their wine bottles were compelled to revert to the usage of natural cork closures due to the consumer resistance. Screw caps are permanently implemented in the wines with lower price range which may also has set the mind of the consumers that screw caps are associated with lower priced wines or low quality wines. Source 7: C.E. Butzke and V.L. Singleton (n.d.). Wine, Scribd Newsletter weekly, Vol. 26. Retrieved July July 05, 2010, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/30117822/Wine The source provides information on everything that is related to wine. From wine making to its packaging and trading, everything has been incorporated by the source. The source reveals the conditions required to properly store the wine bottle as (1) low and constant temperature of about 18o C for red wine and 13o C for the white wine which has been found empirically and (2) restricted light, in particular the ultra violet light and restricted vibrations. Wine bottles that are sealed with natural or synthetic cork needs to be stored sideways which reduces the gas exchange between the wine inside the bottle and the outer atmosphere. The wine in the cork sealed bottles breathes air from the atmosphere, through the closure, with high variations up to the magnitudes of three, especially in the case of natural bark cork. This breathing is neither necessary nor desirable for proper aging process of the wine. Generally, the intended quality and flavor of the wine by the wine maker should not be influenced by the type of the closure used to seal the bottle. The cork closure which requires a special tool and a lot of effort to open the wine as per the tradition forms the elite image of the wine and thus, separates it from other beverages. This tradition has also become a major marketing issue for the screw cap closure which is a better option than the cork closure since the natural cork infects the wine with the TCA component and makes it cork taint. A lot of wine makers have switched the cork closures to the more reliable screw cap closures, in the past years. This switch indicates the emphasis applied on quality by the wine maker rather than emphasizing on the romantic style portrayed by the cork closures while ceremonial opening of the wine bottle. Source 8: A.B. Marine and C.A. Durham (2007). Effects of Wine Bottle Closure Type on Consumer Purchase Intent and Price Expectation, American Society of Enology and Viticulture. 58:2. Retrieved July 07, 2010, from http://www.corkqc.com/asev/ASEV%20Closure%20Perception%20-%20Price.pdf The source provides the research conducted at the Food Innovation Centre, Portland. The source studies the impact of the natural cork, synthetic cork and screw cap closures on the wine consumers with respect to their intention of purchase and expectation of prices. The study examined two commercial wines that are Chardonnay and Merlot for this purpose. A taste survey was conducted in order to observe and measure the behavior of the consumer purchase. This survey required the participants to test and rate the wines twice; first time when the closure type was not known and the second time when the closure type was revealed. The analysis of the gathered information from the survey evaluated casual effects for the impact on consumer purchase behavior in the case of revealed closure type. The purchase intent was most importantly influenced by the liking rating of the wine. The type of closure had a limited impact on the purchase behavior of the consumer where as the liking rating showed the positive impact on the consumer purchase behavior as 10% higher probability of buying the wine was noted when liking rating was increased by one unit. The results for the price expectations showed that the liking did not influence the price expectations but the quality influenced it greatly. In the expected price model of the research, it was found that the consumers suspected to pay notably less for a wine bottle with the screw cap closure used for both the wines in the survey since they perceived that the quality of the wine with the screw cap closure will be low. Read More