The Vino-Lok glass stopper for wine bottles wins the gold prize for innovation at the International Wine and Fruit Juice Fair, INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA 2004.

The wine industry has been looking for years for alternatives to natural cork stoppers, which would do justice both quality expectations and to the aesthetics of wine.

At this year’s INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA in Stuttgart, Alcoa Deutschland GmbH, Worms, receives this year’s prize for innovation for its new Vino-Lok wine stopper system.
 
The Vino-Lok system consists of an appealing glass stopper with a special seal and an aluminium cover cap. This aluminium cap covers and protects the glass stopper and also acts as a seal of authenticity.
A shrink capsule can be used in addition to this.
The Vino-Lok can be opened without the need for any additional aid: Simply remove the shrink capsule, twist off the aluminium cap and the Vino-Lok can be clicked off easily using one hand: "Click instead of Plop".
 
The decision of the jury noted that the Vino-Lok represents a decisive technical step forward in the field of packaging technology for wines.
The various methods for closing wine bottles which were available up till now have been extended by the additional of an alternative which provides a tight, gas-proof seal and which has no effect on taste.
Another advantage is that the Vino-Lok glass stopper can be reprocessed for re-use through the glass recycling methods. The better gas sealing which glass provides has an important influence on the quality of the wine, it prevents uncontrolled oxidation and also avoids loss of wine through leakages through the stopper.
The view of the jury was that the weight of the stopper gives it, in the eyes of the consumer, a sense of value, plus there is the advantage that the bottle can be sealed again (convenience).
The sum of the positive assessments led the jury to award the Vino-Lok glass stopper for wine bottles the gold medal in the category "Filling-, Sealing- and Packaging Technology".
 
Alcoa Closure Systems International, a branch of Alcoa Inc., USA, produces and distributes more than 50 billion plastic and aluminium screw caps around the world. This year the company will be investing in its factory in Worms in production plant for the manufacture of an alternative portfolio of stoppers for wine.
From January 2005, products available to the market will include not only the present range of 28 mm screw stoppers, but also Vino-LongCaps (long, 30 x 60 mm screw cap stoppers), Vino-Lok Selection glass stopper and Vino-Lok classic Plexiglass for the high and medium-price sectors.