EAFA Aluminium Closures Presentation at Jordan Restaurant

Are you still feeling the “Romance of the Cork”? Or are you realistic about how many bottles of wine closed with cork can potentially fail because of the cork? Thursday saw us at Jordan for lunch and a presentation by Guala closures on the use of aluminium closures on wine. We came with a little knowledge as, when we visited Excelsior on Monday, we saw their bottling line in action and watched and learned as the screwcap closure machine swiftly did its job. It is fascinating. There were three presentations, one by Guala Closures themselves, who told us how the closures work and their low impact on the environment, as all these cap closures can be recycled an infinite number of times. A benefit to the consumer is that they are easy to open and close again, should you not want to finish the bottle. Billions of screw caps are used world wide, mostly on soft beverages and beer, with more and more in the wine industry, mainly in the New World. We were told that 75% of all aluminium ever produced on the globe is still in use

We had two very amusing presentations. One from Michael Fridjhon who used the analogy of coating an expensive car with a fragile paint made from rare molluscs and a video from Ken Forrester, both supporting the use of screw caps. To quote Ken, “A random piece of cork can ruin all the hard work in the vineyard and the cellar.”

We then had a very good (as expected) lunch prepared by Chef George Jardine and his bevy of talented chefs and assistants. This was accompanied by excellent wines from different producers, all from screw capped bottles.

Duck liver pate canapés, The canapés were served with Jordan The Real McCoy Riesling 2014

Tomato mozzarella and pesto on melba toast shards

Siobhan Thompson, CEO of Wines of South Africa, chatting to Bruwer Raats

The guests gather on the sunny terrace

Getting to know our table companions

Chef patron George Jardine

Guido Aufdemkamp, Director Communication and Deputy Executive Director, European Aluminium Foil Association e.V. (EAFA) tells us about the company and how they came to South Africa

Franco Bove, CEO of Guala Closures

Richard Jacob, Hulamin Group CEO, spoke about the plans Hulamin has for recycling aluminium products in South Africa

 Giuseppe Carosini, CEO of Guala Closures South Africa

Michael Fridjhon asking us if we would buy an expensive car covered in a paint made from rare molluscs, that could never be trusted, guaranteed or replaced, and which would affect the running of the car. His analogy with using inconsistent cork to close a bottle of expensive wine

The bread course: 3 different breads – seed load, vetkoek and ciabatta, with dukkah covered butter pat, also came with a parsley pesto and a garlic aioli. Irresistible

Saronsberg owner Nick van Huyssteen, Nicolette Waterford and designer Eduard Haumann

The fish course was home smoked and salted (by Chef Jardine) bacalhau – topped with spinach, herbs and tender gnocchi and in a creamy smoky broth. The fish was perfect, still pearly, absolutely moist and delicately smoked and salted. It was paired with Raats Old Vine Chenin blanc 2013

The main course was very tender seared springbok loin with a butternut purée, broad bean purée, two crisp croquettes and root vegetables. Served with a lovely wine jus and paired with Ken Forrester Three Halves 2007

And then there were the VERY tempting duck fat potato chips, so crisp and very moreish

Dessert was inspired. A very soft Italian meringue had been swirled across the dish then browned under the grill. It was topped with a compote of in-season mulberries and strawberries with a rich vanilla ice cream and some nutty crumbs for texture. It was served with KWV The Mentors Noble Late 2012

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
http://www.adamastorphotos.com/our-rates.php

For more information on aluminium closures, visit www.aluminium-closures.org
on Hulamin Limited, visit www.hulamin.com
on Guala Closures Group, visit www.gualaclosures.com

MEDIA RELEASE                 

For immediate publication                                                                                      October 2014

VERSATILITY AND EFFICIENCY MAKE ALUMINIUM CLOSURES THE FIRST CHOICE IN WINE

Aluminium closures have taken over as an international favourite of consumers and producers alike, gaining even more ground in South Africa in recent years. This is evident in the substantial growth of the local industry across a range of closure applications, and particularly for wine.

The recognition aluminium closures enjoy stems ultimately from their top quality, resource efficiency and sustainability. Aluminium closures represent the modern way of closing bottles, and in many respects, it has positive effects on the taste, quality, convenience, and sustainability. It prevent wine spoilage and has an excellent environmental performance.

As South African producers and marketers are increasingly discovering, aluminium closures provide optimal functionality and have the ability to significantly enhance brand appearance. Intricate design options include glossy or matt finishes, embossing and even digital printing, which are readily available.

Some notable facts around aluminium closures:

-  Recycling of aluminium needs up to 95% less energy than its primary production (corresponding savings in greenhouse gas emissions) without any loss of quality;

-   Aluminium is widely available and, through recycling, saves energy – about 75% of the aluminium ever produced is still in use today. 

-     Aluminium closures offer consistency and prevent contamination; preserve aromas, flavours and freshness; and, reduce waste.

-     They can incorporate tamper evident and anti-counterfeiting devices;

-     They are suitable for glass and PET bottles;

-      According to a life cycle assessment, wine loss rates of cork stoppers are 2-5% as opposed to screwcaps at 0.2-0.5%

-      Aluminium closures represent excellent price/performance ratio; and, are easy to open, reclose, store and ship.

-    Market share of aluminium closures production for wine is: New Zealand (95%), Australia (80%), South Africa (60%+) , Chile (60%+)

From a consumer perspective, a representative survey undertaken in March this year by independent market research company, IPSOS, proved that aluminium closures are the favourite choice of end-consumers. For example, in Germany and the UK – both key markets for South African wines – 68% of respondents believed a bottle with an aluminium closure to be the most practical and easy to open. Over 75% found aluminium closures most suitable when re-closing unfinished bottles of wine. Significantly, both markets indicated a preference towards buying wine closed with an aluminium closure – even when comparative wines were priced the same. The survey also showed that, among younger consumers and particularly females, there is a strong preference for aluminium closures.

The producers of aluminium closures and screw caps for spirits, water, wine and many other products like olive oil and pharmaceuticals are represented by The Closures Group and they are organised within the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA). The members represent about 75% of the global aluminium closures production.

In South Africa, Hulamin is a leading, mid-stream aluminium semi-fabricator and fabricator of aluminium products located in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal and Midrand, Gauteng, and supported by sales offices in South Africa, Europe and the USA. As the only major aluminium rolling operation in sub-Saharan Africa, Hulamin is one of the largest non-mineral beneficiating exporters in South Africa, with over 60% of its sales exported to leading manufacturers around the world, focusing on specific product and end-use markets. 

The company’s origins date back to 1935 when the Aluminium Company of Canada Limited (Alcan) opened a sales office in South Africa. In 2007, Hulamin unbundled from Tongaat Hulett Limited and listed on the main board of the JSE in the Aluminium sub-sector of the Industrial Metals and Mining sector.

In a move that will transform the South African aluminium scrap recycling sector, earlier this year, Hulamin announced that it will open a South African aluminium recycling plant in Pietermaritzburg in October 2015. This R300 million investment targets the recycling of used aluminium beverage cans.

Another locally-based international market leader is Guala Closures SA, a member of the Guala Closures Group that was founded in Italy in 1954 and now operates on five continents with 24 production facilities, all ISO certified. It is the world leader in the production of aluminium and non-refillable closures and in anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Guala Closures SA provides aluminium closures to a range of industries including wine and spirits and was the developer of the renowned Savin Premium wine closure.  Its state-of-the-art factory in Cape Town has been in operation for over half a century.

Guala Closures SA is the only local closure manufacturer capable of foiling onto the top and side of closures. Another first in SA, tamper-evident (TE) closures, is coming soon.  It is also the agent for the French brand Zalkin, manufacturer and global supplier of capping machines.

For more information on aluminium closures, visit www.aluminium-closures.org; on Hulamin Limited, visit www.hulamin.com; and, on Guala Closures Group, visit www.gualaclosures.com.

-ENDS-

Issued by                             Waterford Communications

Contact                                Nicolette Waterford