Wine Cork Closure Types and Wine Stability - Research Paper Example

Introduction Since the 17the century wine bottles have been closed by the traditional cork closures which are obtained by processing the bark of the cork tree. Portugal is the biggest exporter of the wine cork closures and its economy is highly based on this primary export. Wine bottle closures are highly important to seal the bottle so that the wine is not affected by the damaging property of the oxygen in the atmosphere although a very little amount of oxygen is still required to be trespassed in to the bottle which is helpful for the wine to reach its potential. The corks are not perfect enough to block all of the oxygen which serves the purpose but they are fallible too which can result in crumbling, breaking, leaking and also, forming the corked wine. It has been found that 5-10% of the wine bottles from the merchant’s shelf are corked. The cork closure provides the ceremonial tradition of opening the wine bottle with the popping action. Synthetic and screw cap closures are used as alternatives to the cork closures. The synthetic closures are not successful since they too pass the plastic taints to the wine. Screw Cap closures which are made of aluminium alloy casing which forms the outer layer of the closure with an inner lining of expanded polyethylene which air tights the bottle on compression. Screw cap closures are better wine closures than the cork ones and are also, comparatively expensive due to the material used in them but this expense is lower than the loss incurred due to the corked wines by the cork closures. The viability of wine aging for screw caps is a question that needs to be investigated and answered. So far, screw caps serve as the best wine closures as they eradicate the problems of oxidation, cork taint, leakage, breaking and crumbling. Importance of the Study Despite the benefits of the screw caps over the natural corks, wine producers fear that the screw caps might not be accepted by the wide majority of the customers/consumers due to the tradition and myths attached with the cork closures and the screw caps respectively. The premier burgundy wine makers from France, Louis Jadot are contemplating to switch their wine cork closures to screw caps and thus, are determined to investigate about the impact on customer demand and acceptance of their wine with the new closure as it will increase the wine quality. Therefore, this paper will provide a detailed research on whether or not the increase in wine stability by the decrease in “cork taint” is offset by a decrease in customer demand due to a lack of acceptance of the new closures which will help Louis Jadot wine vintners in deciding whether or not to replace their wine corks with the screw caps. Statements of the Problems Louis Jadot Vintners in France are contemplating to replace the traditional cork closures for their wines with screw cap closures. Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine whether or not the increase in wine stability (decrease in “cork taint”) is offset by a decrease in customer demand due to a lack of acceptance of the new closures. The focus of the study is on the customer’s demand, acceptance, awareness and willingness to the screw cap wine closures. The features and characteristics of the several types of the wine bottle cap closure. The costs and benefits of the screw cap closures on comparison to the traditional cap closures. The willingness of the customer to accept the switching of the wine bottle closures from the natural cork to screw cap type. The myths attached with either of the traditional wine closures or the screw cap wine bottle closures. The awareness of the customer on the various advantages of using the screw cap closures instead of the traditional bottle cap closures. The Hypothesis The hypothesis for the study is that the customers are reluctant to accept the screw cap wine closures due to the tradition attached with the opening of the wine bottle for the purpose of celebrations which is because of the use of the natural cork as the bottle closure. The second hypothesis is that the customer is not well aware of the advantages of the screw cap wine bottle closures and the disadvantages of using the natural cork for closing the wine bottles. The Delimitations The study is not aimed to find out the best closure for the wine bottle out of the available alternatives to the traditional natural corks instead it is focused on the feasibility of replacing the corks with the screw caps for the Louis Jadot Vintners in France. It is delimited to the likeliness of the people to reject the screw cap wine bottle closures despite of the various benefits of using the screw caps. Research Plan The methodology planted to investigate the customers’ reactions for the switch of the wine closures towards the screw caps is to conduct a survey in which several customers are asked to provide their reasons for giving preference to the natural cork over the screw cap closure. Also in the survey, the customers are given two separate wines to taste. One wine bottle is closed with the natural cork and the other closed with the screw cap. Customer does not know that which glass of wine belonged to which of the two bottles. After tasting the wines, they are required to rate each of the samples in terms of their taste. Sample and Data Collection The data is collected through the questionnaire forms asking the customers about their preferences to the two wine bottle closures along with giving the reason behind their consideration of the closure. The customers are given two wines to taste from two different bottles having different closures not knowing which wine belongs to which closure. The customer also rates the two wines indicating which has the better taste than the other. Data Analysis The survey is aimed to investigate the effect of the type of the bottle closure on the customer’s perception of the wine quality and on the customer’s wine buying habit. The questions of the survey are formulated to find out the preference of the customer on the type of the closure for the wine bottle and the reason behind this preference. A comment box is also provided in the survey form to get the additional information regarding the preference of the closure type which might not been covered through the questions listed in the form. The answers, comments and rating of the quality and taste of the wine samples by the respondents will be interpreted in the form of a graph or table illustrating the percentage of the customers who prefer natural corks over the screw caps as the wine bottle closures. The collected information will also enable the researcher to analyze the main reason for the customers’ preferences. The results of the test of wine tasting will further ensure that whether the reason behind the customer’s preference is the quality of the wine or the traditional aspect attached with the natural cork closures or the myths associated with the screw caps closures. Shortcomings of the Research Design The respondents of the survey will provide the limited perspective of customer’s likeliness of buying the wine with screw cap closure which is restricted to the particular region where the survey has been conducted. The respondents may not provide the true information regarding the cause of their liking for the preferred type of the wine bottle closure. The survey does not cover the level of awareness of the customers regarding the costs and benefits of the different types of the closures used in the wine bottles. An outline of the proposed study Once the thesis proposal is accepted, it world take about a month’s time to complete the data collecting part of the study. Further, it would take around a week to compose and analyze the collected information. The main threat is from the reactive arrangements. The survey should include as many serious respondents as possible rather than just selecting a few who participate for fun and entertainment. It is important to note that the reactive arrangement of wine tasting which may cause the participant’s responses to the questions as some might participate in the survey for just tasting the wine. Conclusion The literature and the experiments or researches conducted on the types of the closure for wine bottles have unanimously concluded that screw caps are better than the traditional natural corks as they reduce or eliminate the risk of cork tainting the wines apart from being economical as well. Despite the various advantages of using screw cap closures, many wine making companies that have opted for them incurred losses as the customers are reluctant to buy wines closed with screw caps. This is mainly because of the tradition of bottle opening celebrations and the general perception that the screw capped wines are low in quality, taste and price. The study will investigate these reasons. The wine tasting part of the survey will evaluate that if the customers are satisfied with the taste and quality of the screw capped wines or not. The findings of the survey will be helpful in leading to the conclusion that whether or not the myths associated with the screw capped wines are due to the lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the types and quality of the bottle closures among the customers. If the study reveals that the customers are unaware of the qualities of the closure types and thus, believes in the general perceptions and follow the traditions while buying the wine then it is recommended that the Louis Jadot Vintners in France either not replace the natural cork closures with the screw cap closures or they make the customers aware of the benefits and quality of wine that come along with the use of the screw caps. References IMBIBE (2008). Cork Vs Screw Cap: What’s All the Fuss About? Retrieved July 03, 2010, from http://www.paumanok.com/IB12_44-49.pdf R. Garcia, P. Rummel, J. Hause (2007). Validating Agent Based Marketing Models Using Conjoint Analysis, Journal of Business Research. Retrieved July 03, 2010, from http://web.mit.edu/hauser/www/Papers/ValidatingAgent-basedMarketingModels.pdf W. Murray, L. S. Lockshin, (1993) "Consumer Acceptance of Synthetic Corks", International Journal of Wine Marketing, Vol. 9 Iss: 1, pp.31 - 52 J. Rosen (2006). The Cork Jester's Guide to Wine: An Entertaining Companion for Tasting It, Ordering It and Enjoying It. U.S.A.: Clerisy Press. D. Rivard (2009). The Ultimate Fruit Winemaker's Guide: The Complete Reference Manual for All Fruit Winemakers. U.S.A: Bachchus Enterprise Ltd. P. Spahni (2000). The international wine trade. England: Woodhead Publishing. C.E. Butzke and V.L. Singleton (n.d.). Wine, Scribd Newsletter weekly, Vol. 26. Retrieved July July 05, 2010, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/30117822/Wine A.B. Marine and C.A. Durham (2007). Effects of Wine Bottle Closure Type on Consumer Purchase Intent and Price Expectation, American Society of Enology and Viticulture. 58:2. Retrieved July 07, 2010, from http://www.corkqc.com/asev/ASEV%20Closure%20Perception%20-%20Price.pdf Appendix A: Survey Questionnaire 1. Your name, gender and age. ___________________________________________________________ 2. Which type of the bottle closure do you prefer in wine? a. Natural Cork b. Screw Cap 3. What is the reason behind the above preference? a. Tradition of bottle opening. b. Taste of the wine. c. Personal liking d. Other: _______________________________________________ 4. How does the natural cork affect the wine? In terms of: a. Flavor b. Quality c. Price 5. Is this affect good or bad? a. Good b. Bad 6. How does the screw cap affect the wine? In terms of: a. Flavor b. Quality c. Price 7. Is this affect good or bad? a. Good b. Bad 8. How do you like the taste of wine sample A? a. Good b. Average c. Bad 9. What do you think would be the type of the closure for wine sample A? a. Natural Cork b. Screw Cap 10. How do you like the taste of wine sample B? a. Good b. Average c. Bad 11. What do you think would be the type of the closure for wine sample B? a. Natural Cork b. Screw Cap 12. Your comments regarding the flavor of the wine and the type of the closure. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Read More