Julian, can you clarify the following " cork require an additional capsule of PVC or aluminium to finish the packing" - capsules serve absolutely no purpose other than a design element, so technically one does not require the use of a capsule, as done does not need a 1kg heavy weight bottle.

I haven gone to every single one. Awesome event indeed. This year will be even bigger

This message refers to comment by Julian The whole study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers/Ecobilan1, was carried out in line with the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. and is available on http://goo.gl/NJUlX. The least favorable scenario for the promoter of the study (in this case CORTICEIRA AMORIM) was always chosen, meaning the following: - As there was a lack of information for non cork-stoppers (oil derived and aluminium closures), only the impact of raw material production was considered, and not its negative environmental impacts related with the whole production process of transforming it into closures. Therefore cork closures got penalized. - The impact by stage in the life cycle was also taken into consideration, meaning production, transport, bottling (for cork and oil derived closures it included the carbon emissions of PVC capsules), and end of life Also important to note that the impact of the cork oak forests as CO2 sink was not associated in those figures, otherwise the difference would be 250 x.

Very good article Cathy and I enjoyed it and at the end of the day the cork does add value to the ageing wine. Thank you Cathy. This subject extremely complex and no person can shoot off the hip.

Contact info@gugulethuwinefestival.co.za directly

Your article makes some interesting points, some of which are encouraging and quite valid. I do however take issue with the carbon 'footprint' of cork vs screwcap. The statistic of 24x more carbon with a screwcap is achieved in large measure by assuming that all of the cork forests will be cut down and paved over if we stop using corks for wine. Unlikely I think, especially given the myriad other uses for cork. Also I very much doubt that the quoted statistic takes into account the fact that bottles closed with cork require an additional capsule of PVC or aluminium to finish the packing. Added together I think the carbon argument would be heavily tipped in favour of the screwcap.

Enjoyed your article! Was always mystified how wine could breathe through 3 inches of solid matter. The polyphenols makes far more sense! I was also surprised by the info regarding corked wines for Old Mutual comp. Did note that it seemed to be majority of white wines were faulty, possibly the polyphenols in the cork reacted differently? Possibly screw cap for whites and convenience driven wines? Wine makers strive to have their product in best possible state for end user so they have a tough task balancing this with the consumers preference. I personally prefer cork as it( in my opinion) adds value to the experience rather than caps which somehow seem commodity driven.

I would like to purchase a VIP ticket where can I get one & how much is it?

Dear Ansie, I apologies wholeheartedly for your less than satisfactory experience at Hartenberg. We pride ourselves on good service and delicious food to complement our cellarmaster's wines. To this end I wish you had made your dissatisfaction known on the day so that we could have rectified the situation immediately. We serve two portions of artisan Dalewood cheese per person as well as homemade " plaasbrood" and focaccia. The terrine is made from freshly ground lamb and pork mince with a free range chicken breast centre. Again, sincere apologies that your expectations were not met and I hope you will return to the estate to experience the true Hartenberg experience. Please feel free to contact me driectly to set up a reservation.

Nice One Guys !