‘The Vino-Lok glass stopper represents a decisive technical step forward in the field of packaging technology for wine and provides a tight, gas-proof seal which has no side effects on taste. It prevents uncontrolled oxidation and also avoids loss of wine through leakages through the stopper. More than 450 wineries around the globe now use Vino-Lok to seal premium wines,’ comments Hans Losch of Columbit.
Leading South African names such as Boekenhoutskloof, Vergelegen, Groote Post, De Wetshof and Chamonix now have part of their production sealed with Vino-Lok.
Arguably one of South Africa’s most esteemed producers, De Wetshof, bottled their Rhine Riesling 2005 with Vino-Lok last year, an ‘amazing’ closure according to veteran winemaker, Danie de Wet. ‘We are very content with the results even though public awareness locally is still slim. In Germany the product is well-known and widely accepted,’ comments De Wet.
Mariette Ras of Groot Parys in Paarl explains that their Dutch importer recommended Vino-Lok and confirms that both the Groot Parys Chardonnay (wooded) and Chenin Blanc have been bottled with Vino-Lok. ‘It looks good, it works well and our customers perceive it as more upmarket than screwcaps,’ Mariette states.
Nick Pentz from Groote Post whose Old Man’s Vintage Sauvignon Blanc was one of the first South African wines to be closed with Vino-Lok, concurs: 'The new Vino-Lok closure has been used to seal this wine in a quest to explore alternatives to the traditional cork. No tools are needed to extract this glass stopper and the wine can be resealed just as easily.’
At Franschhoek estate Chamonix, winemaker Gottfried Mocke is about to bottle both a white blend and Sauvignon Blanc with Vino-Lok. Says Mocke: ’I believe the Vino-Lok system to be the ultimate closure for white wines made in a reductive style.’ Mocke confirms that Chamonix’s customers in Europe recommended Vino-Lok, notably sommeliers. ‘It is a classy closure,’ he says, ‘and I am very impressed with wines that I’ve tasted recently which were sealed with Vino-Lok.’
Martin Steinmann from the famed German producer, Schloss Sommerhausen, says: ‘The Vino-Lok glass stopper is the most important innovation in the wine industry in the past one thousand years. The closure offers an absolute seal together with 100% taste neutrality. It does justice to the quality of all my wines. My total production will in future be sealed with Vino-Lok.’
For more information please contact Hans Losch:
hlosch@mweb.co.za,
Tel: +27(0)21 976 3686
Fax: +27(0) 21 975 6997
Mobile + 27 82 564 8933