Screw Cap Closure Oxygen Transfer Rates Comparison (2015)
Kirsty Harmon
Blenheim Vineyards
Summary
Finished wine (Chardonnay) from a single tank was bottled on (2/23/14). An equal amount of bottles were topped with one of three Amcor Stelvin screw caps each with a different oxygen transfer rate (see figure). The rates compared in this experiment were 1, 3, and 7. “1” corresponds to the lowest oxygen transfer rate, and 7 corresponds to the highest oxygen transfer rate (although exact numbers were not available for this study). The wines were treated identically post bottling and during storage.
Lab Analysis
Results
There were no chemical differences between the wines. Of respondents (n=15) 40% preferred Rate 1, 46.7% preferred Rate 3, and 13.3% preferred Rate 7
