Before setting out to find the perfect closure, it is important to know the type of wine it will be used for. To help you choose from the range of closures available, here is a reminder of the different categories of wine.
The different types of wine
PlusiSeveral criteria can be taken into consideration when classifying wines. The two main ones are colour and category.
The colours of wine
Traditionally, the wine industry classifies wine in three colours: red, white and rosé.
Red wines are made from black-skinned grapes. Skin contact maceration gives this type of wine its dark colour. The colour can take on different shades depending on the grape variety and soak time.
White wines are made from white grapes. Once picked, the fruit is pressed and separated from the berry. White wines can also be made from red grapes with white flesh where there is no skin contact maceration with the juice.
Rosé wines, which are increasingly popular with consumers, are made from black-skinned grapes. Their lighter hue is due to shorter maceration time than for red wine, hence their ‘rosé’ or pink colour.
The different categories of wine
There are five major categories:
- still wines, which refers to all wines that are not sparkling;
- sparkling wines whose defining feature is their bubbles (sparkling, crémant or Champagne);
- dessert wines follow the same winemaking process as red wine, but fermentation is arrested at an earlier stage to preserve the sugars;
- sweet wines include medium-dry, sweet and noble rot wines;
- cooked wines which, unlike dessert wines, are heated.
So, for example, a red wine can be still yet also a dessert or cooked wine.
Choosing a closure depending on the type of wine
There are different types of closures to seal a bottle of wine. The choice of closure has a direct impact on the ageing of the wine depending on its quality.
To ascertain the most appropriate closure for a specific bottle of wine, the category, the colour, the potential ageability, sales rotation and distribution network should be taken into account.
For still wines, a wide range of corks – natural, colmated and technical – is available today.
Corks for sparkling wines are easily recognisable by their mushroom shape, once uncorked. Their composition is also unusual as they are produced by combining a body made of top-end cork granulates and glued cork discs, which are in contact with the wine.
For spirits, bar-top cork closures prove to be the most appropriate. This type of closure allows the bottle to be handled easily but also offers the advantages of a cork closure.
Ultimately, it is therefore essential to know the wine well so as to apply the most suitable closure.
Corks and wine bottles go hand in hand. The choice of the cork that will seal the bottle is part of the bottling process and marketing strategy. Each wine has its own cork. Please feel free to contact us so that we can advise you on the best solution.