Sugarcane Closure

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for the Nov. 30, 2013 issue

See Also
From Compost to Cupcakes
Selling Wines the Whole Foods Way

Dana Nigro
Issue: November 30, 2013

When organic, biodynamic and sustainable vintners look to bring their low-impact philosophies to their packaging, they often end up torn over how to handle closures. Cork is the traditional choice, and it is a renewable material; screw caps, meanwhile, are made from mined metals, and synthetic corks are typically derived from petrochemicals. On the other hand, if consumers discover that a wine has spoiled from cork failure and are forced to throw it away, that's not exactly sustainable either. The answer to this dilemma may lie in the emergent field of bioplastics. Wine Spectator's Dana Nigro explains.

For the full article, check out the new issue of Wine Spectator, on newsstands October 28, 2013.

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