Glass toppers are the clear choice

Stylish closures will keep your vino tasting the way the winemaker intended

One of the Italian red wines recommended this week comes with a surprise. When you open the Cusumano Nero d’Avola you don’t have to extract a cork or twist off a screwcap, you just click off a stylish glass top.

The unusual closure means the wine tastes the way the winemaker intended and you’ll have something to talk about as you pour your guests a glass.

Glass closures provide a sterile, leak-proof seal that maintains the freshness of wines and spirits. They have been around for more than a decade, but lag far behind traditional cork and screwcap closures in commercial use. Wineries in Austria and Germany have been the biggest promoters of the glass closure. They trust that the inert nature of glass won’t impart any off aromas or flavours into the wine.

The Henschke family in South Australia uses glass closures for its age-worthy reds, including the legendary Hill of Grace, an iconic label considered to be Australia’s finest single-vineyard wine.

Owner Stephen Henschke started using the Vinolok brand of glass stoppers after five years of research and he continues to be impressed.

Whitehall Lane Winery and Calera, both in California, are other premium promoters who have faith in the consistency and safety of these alternative closures.

Consumers are quick to embrace them, as well. The glass top fits snugly into the neck of the bottle thanks to an elastic ring under the lip of the stopper and can be easily resealed after opening.

Supporters feel that the glass stoppers look more elegant than a screwcap on a wine bottle.

Unfortunately the cost per unit makes glass stoppers as expensive as the best quality natural corks and requires an overhaul to bottling lines to accommodate the new technology. That’s the real reason you don’t see many glass tops on your wine bottles.

Besides the need for a corkscrew to open a bottle, the biggest complaint about natural cork closures is the potential of imparting musty or mouldy aromas and flavours into wine.

Industry estimates continue to suggest that five to 10 per cent of wines sealed with natural cork can end up spoiled.

Yet tradition and consumer preference for natural corks continue to make them the most accepted closure going, even if they aren’t the most efficient or user-friendly.