Bottle Fermented Sparkling Wine: Cork or Crown Closures During the Second Fermentation?

Bottle-fermented sparkling wine producers are continuously striving to increase quality and produceniche products. One production tool that could be used is a cork closure instead of a crown cap closureduring the second fermentation and maturation on yeast lees. Anecdotal evidence suggests that thisleads to stylistic differences in the wine. Six pairs of South African bottle-fermented sparkling wines(Méthode Cap Classique), closed by either a cork or crown cap, were investigated. Analyses includedbottle pressure, infrared spectroscopy, phenolic acids, sensory attributes and CO2 kinetics. Generally,there were differences between the cork-closed and crown-capped wines. Cork-closed wines tended tohave lower pressure compared to crown-capped wines, albeit still well within legal requirements. Otherdifferences were evident in the infrared spectral data and in the polyphenol profile of the analysed wines.Levels of gallic, caftaric, caffeic and p-coumaric acids could be used collectively as marker compounds todifferentiate between cork-closed and crown-capped wines. The effect of the cork was also evident in thesensory attributes and CO2 kinetics. Cork-closed wines were judged to have smaller bubbles and a longeraftertaste. It was also shown that the cork-closed wines tended to lose CO2 from the glass slower after beingpoured than their crown-capped counterparts. The data tentatively support the anecdotal evidence thatcork can be used during the second fermentation and maturation on the yeast lees to change the style ofbottle-fermented sparkling wine.