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
© 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.
-ENDS-
Issued
by
Waterford Communications
Contact
Nicolette Waterford
Tasting the Polkadraai Rosé bubbles on the stoep with members of the Fourth Estate
A selection of bread
The menu for the lunch is also their new Spring Menu and is very good value. There are two choices on courses 3 and 4. We had one each and swopped plates so we could taste them all. Portions are small, so you can manage what looks like a large quantity of food
A lovely dish if you are Banting or keen on cauliflower. The soup was very, very creamy. Lynne wondered if the scone was made with almond flour?
Alan Mullins, Anel Grobler and Guy MacDonald and one of the very pleasant waiting staff
This course was a bit controversial. Lynne was not fond of the very concentrated flavours of celery in the panna cotta, which she found rather bitter, others absolutely loved it. The hazelnuts were superb as was the asparagus and celeriac remoulade
A play on words: Lovely crisp cubes of tender pork tenderloin (lomo), glazed pork belly on a great egg yolk emulsion and sweet fresh peas
Oh, so crisp calamari on a sweet corn purée with crisp pickles
PRO Nicolette Waterford dressed for the occasion
Trout, seared and tartare, with cauliflower cous cous. However, the crisp dry quinoa was difficult to eat
The deconstructed Springbok “pie” was slices of beautifully tender seared springbok and a bitterballen croquette of shredded springbok on a rich smoked mash with bits of crisp pastry
The cheese course was enlivened by the date purée
The deconstructed dessert was a very good mix of flavours and textures. Strawberries in season make glorious sorbet 
And finally, after lots of chat and a good lunch, the flavours of the seaside. The ice cream melted very fast in the sunshine! Reminds us of a strawberry mivvy lolly!
Nicolette Waterford with Guy MacDonald of Radio Good Hope’s Breakfast show
