Discovering the benefits of innovative Nomacorc wine closures

2024-05-13

On April 25, Vinventions invited us to visit the manufacturing plant where they develop their Nomacorc stoppers . Located in Thimister-Clermont, Belgium, the factory produces 6 million corks a day in high season and from ENEO, together with 30 other professionals from all over Spain – including winemakers, distributors and specialized press –, we had the opportunity to see first-hand how the wine closure solutions of the second most important business group in the world in terms of manufacturing and billing are manufactured.

Vinventions is a world leader in closures. With extensive experience in oenology, and especially focused on ending the presence of TCA, the company designs and manufactures innovative and sustainable solutions with the aim of preserving the quality of wine, providing protection and added value.

At its Thimister-Clermont plant, Vinventions manufactures 1,300,000,000 closures annually, reaching 6 million closures per day in the peak season. In a space of 10,000 m 2 , the plant employs 230 people, who are divided into shifts to keep the plant operational 24/7 every day of the week.

At the equipment level, it has 5 extrusion lines, 14 beveling and stamping lines and 28 finishing machines. With this, it serves more than 1,800 clients who accumulate around 15,000 orders per year.

How are Nomacorc closure solutions manufactured?

“The focus of the Nomacorc brand is focused on sustainability,” Marta Arranz, winemaker and head of the Wine Quality Solutions range of tools, explained to us. And within the wide range of Vinventions solutions, Nomacorc synthetic closures combine technical efficiency and sustainable features to protect wine.

The Nomacorc brand is specialized in solving problems related to cork taste (TCA) and introducing oxygen management through closures. Nomacorc is also the first closure to use innovative sustainable raw materials. “This range of caps is designed to address environmental challenges, including reducing carbon emissions (Green Line range), circularity (Blue Line range) and combating marine pollution (Ocean range),” said Arranz.

The manufacturing process of these caps begins in the extrusion phase , at which time the raw material and granules are mixed, melted and pressed in a mold to create a tube that solidifies when soaked in water. After this, comes the co-extrusion process , that is, a second extrusion. Here, two synthetic materials (leather and foam) are joined together by thermal adhesion and the complete plug is created before moving to the cutting phase . Using a rotating blade, previously sprayed with a mixture of water and ethanol, the tube is cut and each cap is shaped.

The already cut caps arrive vertically at the beveling machine . They are then taken to a mat that pushes them sideways and spins them around. Two constantly rotating discs bevel the cap at an average speed of 7,000 caps per hour. Next, remove the remaining dust to get them ready for printing . At this moment, the plugs enter a carousel, are fixed and rotate on themselves. At the same time, they are electrically printed using a treatment called ‘Corona’, which modifies the tension of the surface of the cap, achieving better adhesion to the ink.

When the caps are already printed, we move on to the surface treatment . In a first silo, the dust is removed and in a second silo, they are treated with food grade silicone. Then, on the one hand, the retention caps from each batch are collected – which are stored in the laboratory for 5 years – and, on the other, the caps are grouped every 1,000 units on a tape for final visual control. If the caps are in the correct condition, they arrive at the packaging process in crates or cardboard boxes, which are left open for a while so that the ethanol from the cut evaporates.

If the caps are in the correct condition, they arrive at the packaging process in crates or cardboard boxes, which are left open for a while so that the ethanol from the cut evaporates.

Solutions for all types of wines

“We are specialized in creating a stopper for each type of wine, consulting with the client about their needs and offering them the solution that best suits,” Marco Lozano, commercial director in Spain and Portugal at Vinventions, told us. “Our production methods are validated by the International Wine Organization (OIV) and take into account both the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) and desorption, offering a reliable measurement for all types of closures,” added Marta Arranz.

In this sense, Vinventions carries out an evaluation of the true contribution of the stopper to the oxygen supply in the bottle, allowing winemakers to evaluate the performance of the stopper, identify variations and make decisions based on their objectives. “No matter how much we guarantee the best closure solution, it is of no use if the oxygen supply during the bottling process is not adequate. From this comes our range of Wine Quality Solutions oenological tools, focused on eliminating sensory deviations, ensuring consistency from bottle to bottle and controlling shelf life,” he noted.

Thanks to all its years of research, Vinventions’ range of solutions is increasingly broader. Within the range of Nomacorc synthetic closures we find the Reserve models for high-end wines; Ocean, the world’s first closure made with recycled plastic from the oceans; Select and Classic, specially designed for oxygen control and made up of the Blue Line – the first circular closure solution in the world, made with 50% recycled materials, for superior quality still wines – and the Green Line – the first and only cap in the world with a net neutral carbon footprint; and Smart, the most economical solution.

Another range of products are the SÜBR, the first range of micronatural closures for wine that do not contain polyurethane or contaminants, or the VINTOP screw caps.

VINTOP Infinite: a revolutionary screw cap with digital technology

VINTOP Infinite is the latest innovation from Vinventions, an exclusive screw cap for wines (BVS standard) that features cutting-edge digital printing technology. VINTOP Infinite offers endless customization possibilities, with up to 2,000 colors available for eye-catching designs. This opens new avenues for creativity in packaging and brand expression, as designs can now span the top and sides continuously. Wine producers can now also create specific designs for short, targeted marketing campaigns, improving engagement and brand recognition.

Rapid closure sampling, ultra-fast delivery times and flexible order sizes ensure winemakers, bottlers and retailers can create superior consumer engagement while managing their procurement and supply chain challenges.

“We are very proud to be the first screw cap producers to propose digital printing, both on the top and on the side, which is an important point of differentiation for brands,” says Frédéric Grégoire, Chief Technology Officer of Vinventions. “This allows us to radically improve our service.”