An interesting new curve-ball into the issue of the best means to seal wine has received a boost. ProCork, an invention of former CSIRO scientist and now his company’s chief executive, Dr Gregor Christie, has developed new technology around a series of membranes applied to each end of a wine cork. The membranes, which consist of separate layers of advanced polymers, are intended to reduce chemicals entering the wine, regulate the passage of oxygen through the cork and retain cork moisture to prevent breakage. The International Premininary Examination Authority (IPEA) has issued a report acknowledging ProCork’s product as novel, inventive and having an industrial application. This enables ProCork to proceed towards its next phase of gaining international patent application. The company will shortly commission a new machine able to produce 20 million ProCorks per year on single shift. If successful, the cork industry may have found an ally in ProCork, whose technology might possibly reassure consumers and producers that if treated correctly, cork is worth adhering to. Mount Avoca, whose owner Matthew Barry is a consultant to ProCork, recently released the first wine to be sealed under a ProCork closure. In a follow-up to recent News posted at OnWine, a concerned reader made contact with this office to offer the thought that while there is indeed possibly an oversupply of cabernet and sauvignon, who is doing something about the shortage of pinot and noir?
