Industry News
Home Team Wines uses FSC-Certified Corks
Home Team Wines based in Sonoma, California announced that, through a partnership with Cork Supply™, they are one of the first wine labels in the U.S. to use corks that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, which they are using for their new 2007 releases: Miracle One Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
In addition to being 100 percent natural, renewable, recyclable, biodegradable and sustainable, these corks are both FSC certified and Rainforest Alliance Certified™ to be responsibly sourced from well-managed forests. FSC Certification standards are supported by numerous global environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy.
The FSC is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote environmentally-appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. The FSC’s rigorous criteria are the only internationally valid standards for responsible forest management that place equal emphasis on social, environmental and industry interests. Detailed information on FSC Certification can be found online at www.fscus.org.
As an FSC-accredited affiliate, Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. For more information about Rainforest Alliance and its SmartWood program, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.
For more information about Home Team Wines and their sustainability efforts, visit www.miracleonewines.com/enviro. For more information about Cork Supply quality, forestry and sustainability initiatives, visit www.corksupply.com.
Corticeira Amorim Publishes Third Sustainability Report
Corticeira Amorim, a producer of natural cork products, has released its third Sustainability Report, providing details of a series of important environmental initiatives undertaken throughout 2008.
Corticeira Amorim chairman and CEO António Amorim said the release of the report confirmed the company’s strategic commitment to sustainable development. “Our commitment to sustainable development is the best way to demonstrate responsible leadership in the cork industry,” he said.
Corticeira Amorim is the only company in the global cork sector to annually publish its results and outline its future plans in this area.
The release of the 2008 report follows the announcement that Corticeira Amorim has again been acknowledged for the quality of its sustainability reporting at the global Corporate Register Reporting Awards (CRRA). The CRRA ranked Corticeira Amorim’s 2007 Sustainability Report among the best in the world for its relevance to the understanding of sustainability issues in business.
This commendation was made at the same time as the company was recognized by The Drinks Business, a major U.K. drinks trade magazine. Corticeira Amorim was the only producer of bottle closures in the magazine’s Top 50 Green List, ranking 25 in the global drinks sector in terms of the extent to which companies influence the public on green issues.
As with its previous sustainability reports, the latest edition explains the company’s best practice in sustainable cork manufacturing, highlights the major sustainability results achieved during 2008 and outlines the initiatives implemented by Corticeira Amorim during the year.
One of the major achievements is that the company’s use of renewable energy has now reached 60 percent of its energy requirements (up from 45 per cent in 2006). Corticeira Amorim has also reduced its CO2 emissions by a further 4.5 percent, following a 3.4 percent reduction in 2007.
Amorim said the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions reinforced the environmental advantages of using natural cork products. In 2008 Corticeira Amorim released the results of an independent life cycle analysis of wine closures thatdemonstrated that natural cork is the best wine closure in terms of environmental performance.
The 2008 Sustainability Report also reviews Corticeira Amorim’s commitment to innovation, highlighting the application for four new patents and the launch of new products. Other details include improvements in occupational health and safety and increases in employee training and education.
A full copy of the 2008 Corticeira Amorim Sustainability Report is available at www.corticeiraamorim.com/en or by visiting www.corkfacts.com.
New Products
Avery Dennison Expands Wine Label Portfolio with Sustainable Facestock
The Fasson Roll North America division of Avery Dennison Corporation has introduced Fasson® Estate Label® #100 Recycled facestock, which is made from 100 percent post-consumer waste paper.
The new Fasson Estate Label #100 Recycled facestock is Forest Stewardship Council certified, and the bright-white vellum stock is well suited for vintners, brand owners and designers who want to help the environment.
The new product has a 60-pound wet strength and is paired with a 1.2-milliliter recyclable liner, made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Fasson® S100R, a wash-away adhesive that allows consumers or recyclers to cleanly remove labels from bottles after immersing them in water hotter than 100°F.
Swatch books and more information about the full line of Fasson® EcoFriendly? and Fasson® Tree Free sustainable label products from Avery Dennison are available at 800-944-8511 or www.na.fasson.com. Information on Avery Dennison’s corporate philosophy on sustainability is available at www.fasson.com.
Laffort Releases New Products for Harvest
Laffort has released a newly isolated strain of malolactic bacteria Oenoccus oeni that has been selected for low pH conditions—Lactoenos 350 PreAc. Its tolerance to acidity has been genetically demonstrated by identification of the specific genes of the O. oeni genome. Lactoenos 350 PreAc has been shown to have one of the highest malolactic activities. This strain was isolated in a white wine with alcohol 16 percent v/v and pH less than 3.
The strain is produced with Laffort’s PreAc production process, which pre-acclimatizes the bacteria to the difficult conditions it will face in the wine. According to Laffort, an easy and fast step of acclimatization (12 hours with the provided nutrient) ensures a higher survival rate and a shorter lag phase. It is available in dose for 1,500 gallons.
Bioarom® is a yeast nutrient with very high protective power, for aroma preservation in white and Rosé wines.
Bioarom® encourages yeast to biosynthesize specific molecules with high redox potential. As the yeasts autolyse, these compounds are released back into the wine, protecting sensitive aroma molecules. The aroma profile of the wine is fresher for a longer period of time.
Laffort has also introduced a pure catechin tannin specifically for color stabilization. Catechins are the most reactive compounds with anthocyanins critical to creating very stable bounds (via ethanal bridges). VR Color is softer in mouthfeel than most tannins.
Laffort’s exclusive process OxyProtectTM prevents oxidation during the production and thus preserves the reactivity of the phenolic core.
For more information, contact Charlotte Gourraud, 415-613-0609 (charlotte.gourraud@laffort.com) or Russell Robbins, 707-815-0225 (russell.robbins@laffort.com) and visit www.laffort.com.
Vinfolio Launches Wine Prices iPhone Application
Vinfolio announced the release of the Wine Prices iPhone application, which gives users free mobile access for up-to-date wine price information online. The Wine Prices iPhone application provides the ability to search more than 400,000 wine auction price results on over 10,000 individual wines and 1 million U.S. wine retail prices on nearly 200,000 unique wines.
Available for free at the iPhone App Store, the Wine Prices iPhone application allows wine enthusiasts, collectors and investors the benefit of current wine pricing information combined with the features offered by the iPhone and iPod touch user interface.
The application allows users to view average prices and detailed listings, average VinCellar community scores, more than 15,000 community wine reviews and detailed wine labels for easy wine verification.
The Wine Prices iPhone application was designed and developed by Vinfolio with the assistance of Hydrant, a San Francisco-based consultancy and design firm. Auction price data is from Vinfolio’s Wine Price File database, and retail price data is powered by Global Wine Stocks.
WinePrices.com, powered by Vinfolio, is a free online tool for finding both current and historical wine auction prices as well as current wine retail prices. For more information, visit www.wineprices.com. Vinfolio is a fine wine and collector services company offering a selection of more than 1,500 wines and a full complement of services and resources to find, buy, sell, manage and enjoy fine wine. For more information, visit www.vinfolio.com.
Hat’s Off
El Dorado County’s Boeger Winery Honored as a “California Small Business of the Year”
Boeger Winery of Placerville, California was the only winery in the state to be honored this year by the California Small Business Association as “California Small Business of the Year” for Legislative District 4. The award recognizes small businesses that exemplify the contributions of California’s 3.7 million small business owners to the state’s economy.
Assemblyman Ted Gaines presented the award to winery founder Greg Boeger and his winemaker son, Justin, during a ceremony at the State Capitol attended by Gov. Schwarzenegger, legislators and business leaders. Assemblyman Gaines noted the Boeger family’s impact on the El Dorado wine industry, dating back to 1972 when scarcely more than 10 acres of grapes were growing in the county. Greg Boeger’s initial planting of 30 acres showed that premium grapes could thrive in the area and proved to be an important catalyst for the county’s winemaking industry, which now boasts nearly 2,500 acres of vineyards and more than 50 wineries.
The Boegers established El Dorado’s first post-Prohibition winery in 1972; and during the last three decades, the family has been dedicated to making some of the Sierra foothill’s finest wines. Today Greg and Justin Boeger make several blends, drawing from 30 varieties of grapes grown at the estate.
“We’re deeply honored to have been selected for this award,” said Greg Boeger. “It’s a tribute to our employees, customers and all those who have worked hard to establish El Dorado as a premier winegrowing region.” wbm
