Cork structural characteristics and their influence on the oxygen ingress through wine stoppers

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia - ULCork structural characteristics and their influence on the oxygen ingress through wine stoppers were studied aiming to contribute to an increased added-value of the natural cork stoppers. The surface porosity features of cork stoppers can differentiate the three main commercial classes used nowadays: the porosity coefficient was 2.4%, 4.0% and 5.5% for premium, good and standard stoppers, respectively. Image analysis also distinguished defects in the cork structure: empty ant gallery; Coroebus undatus F. larvae gallery; and wetcork. Several predictive classification models of stoppers into quality classes were built using the results from cork stoppers surface characterization and a simplified model using the main discriminant features i.e. porosity coefficient and the RGB colour-type variables was presented. X-ray tomography was used as a non-destructive technique to study the internal structure of natural cork stoppers, allowing the visualization of some defects inside the cork stopper. After characterization, the natural cork stoppers were used as closure of bottles and oxygen diffusion measurements were made along time. The kinetics of oxygen transfer was similar and could be adjusted to logarithmic models. On average 35% of the overall oxygen ingress occurred in the first 5 days, 59% in the 1st month and 78% in the first 3 months. Microtomography images (voxel size of 50 µm) allowed the observation of lenticular channels development and geometry, and the quantification of void and high density regions (HDR) fractions. The evidence that the void fraction of lenticular channels in the innermost part of the cork stopper inserted in the bottle was strongly related to the oxygen ingress in the first month after bottling can be used for quality enhancement of natural cork stoppers with incorporation of performance requirement

Cork and Cork Stoppers: Quality and Performance

Cork is a world-renowned material used for sealing wine bottles. Cork is a cellular material with chemical inertia and a set of physical and mechanical properties that provide an outstanding performance for in-bottle wine aging, by combining minute oxygen transfer with sealing, durability, and chemical stability, for example, inertness toward the liquid content and along storage, preventing sensory deterioration. Cork is a natural material, one of the most important nontimber forest products, that is associated with sustainability and ecosystem preservation. The cork industry has steadily improved production processes and adopted innovative technologies, quality control measures, and certification, regarding prevention of potential wine taints and off-flavors. This chapter makes a review of cork stoppers, their properties, and quality and role for wine bottle aging, tackling their importance for wine aroma and off-flavors while presenting the latest advances in cork research

Spartan Daily, September 11, 1986

Volume 87, Issue 10https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/7467/thumbnail.jp

The role of wine tourism in the marketing of wineries in the Stellenbosch wine route of South Africa

Commercial reality demands that the South African wine industry convert from its current production orientation to a marketing orientation, by drawing on all new and existing marketing channels in order to ensure its continued success. International research has shown that wine tourism can add value to and benefit a winery as a direct marketing channel. This study investigated the role that wine tourism currently plays within the marketing strategies of wineries in the Stellenbosch Wine Route of South Africa. Findings of the exploratory research indicated that many wineries do not comprehend the positive influence of wine tourism and view it as a secondary marketing activity. It is concluded that South African wine marketers could profit from utilising wine tourism as an integral part of their marketing strategy in order to maintain and increase their share of the alcoholic beverage market.Business ManagementM. Comm. (Business Management

Structural Transformation in South Africa: The Challenges of Inclusive Industrial Development in a Middle-Income Country

Taking South Africa as an important case study of the challenges of structural transformation, the book offers a new micro-meso level framework and evidence linking country-specific and global dynamics of change, with a focus on the current challenges and opportunities faced by middle-income countries. Detailed analyses of industry groupings and interests in South Africa reveal the complex set of interlocking country-specific factors which have hampered structural transformation over several decades, but also the emerging productive areas and opportunities for structural change. The structural transformation trajectory of South Africa presents a unique country case, given its industrial structure, concentration, and highly internationalized economy, as well as the objective of black economic empowerment. The book links these micro-meso dynamics to the global forces driving economic, institutional, and social change. These include digital industrialization, global value-chain consolidation, financialization, and environmental and other sustainability challenges which are reshaping structural transformation dynamics across middle-income countries like South Africa. While these new drivers of change are disrupting existing industries and interests in some areas, in others they are reinforcing existing trends and configurations of power. The book analyses the ways in which both the domestic and global drivers of structural transformation shape—and, in some cases, are shaped by—a country’s political settlement and its evolution. By focusing on the political economy of structural transformation, the book disentangles the specific dynamics underlying the South African experience of the middle-income country conundrum. In so doing, it brings to light the broader challenges faced by similar countries in achieving structural transformation via industrial policies

1995-1999 Brock News

A compilation of the administration newspaper, Brock News, for the years 1995 through 1999. It had previously been titled Brock Campus News and preceding that, The Blue Badger

Structural Transformation in South Africa

Taking South Africa as an important case study of the challenges of structural transformation, the book offers a new micro-meso level framework and evidence linking country-specific and global dynamics of change, with a focus on the current challenges and opportunities faced by middle-income countries. Detailed analyses of industry groupings and interests in South Africa reveal the complex set of interlocking country-specific factors which have hampered structural transformation over several decades, but also the emerging productive areas and opportunities for structural change. The structural transformation trajectory of South Africa presents a unique country case, given its industrial structure, concentration, and highly internationalized economy, as well as the objective of black economic empowerment. The book links these micro-meso dynamics to the global forces driving economic, institutional, and social change. These include digital industrialization, global value-chain consolidation, financialization, and environmental and other sustainability challenges which are reshaping structural transformation dynamics across middle-income countries like South Africa. While these new drivers of change are disrupting existing industries and interests in some areas, in others they are reinforcing existing trends and configurations of power. The book analyses the ways in which both the domestic and global drivers of structural transformation shape—and, in some cases, are shaped by—a country’s political settlement and its evolution. By focusing on the political economy of structural transformation, the book disentangles the specific dynamics underlying the South African experience of the middle-income country conundrum. In so doing, it brings to light the broader challenges faced by similar countries in achieving structural transformation via industrial policies