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In a world divided on whether to use screwcaps or stick
to cork as the standard closure, culture has played a decisive role. Despite
New Zealand shifting to 80% new closures, and Australia catching up with
around 60% screw caps, the old world has by and large remained hooked
to cork, especially in France, Italy and Spain who together account for
50% of world production.
So what made Allegrini 'rebel' against the Consorzio's
Appellation rules for Denominazione d'Origine Controllata (DOC) for Valpolicella
Classico and announce they are switching to screw caps for the UK market?
Admits partner Marilisa Allegrini that the move is essentially
part of a marketing strategy which reflects the current economic situation
rather than being rebellious. "With the exchange rate as it is today,"
says she, "We think a $14 to $15 non-Classico Valpolicella with a screw
cap has a better chance on the market than a Valpolicella Classico with
a cork, costing 20 percent more.
" Valpolicella is a red wine made entirely from indigenous
grapes Corvina, Rondinella and a small amount of Molinara. The light to
medium bodied DOC wine is a pleasant, simple and easy drinking, fruity
wine which goes extremely well with pastas and pizzas when served slightly
cool and has a taste international enough to be very popular with Italian-
food loving Indians.
Valpolicella Classico is essentially a similar wine
but made from grapes in a specified region in the Valpolicella town, near
Verona. The fruit is more concentrated and the wine has a more complex
character. With a controlled yield, it is 20-30% more expensive but the
higher price is fully justified by the superior quality.
Last year in October, the regulations did allow the
use of screw caps for the generic low-end Valpolicella but the superior
Classico was left out. Allegrini has apparently chosen to drop the DOC
as it feels it can sell more of the fresh screw-capped wine in the UK
market..
Says winemaker, Franco Allegrini. "I can't really say
whether screw caps are better than corks for a young, fresh wine like
our Valpolicella," he said. "You might say they are healthier, as we use
less sulphur when bottling with a screw cap.
" Franco added that there were no plans yet to release
screw-capped bottles locally. "I don't think we would get a good response
at the moment," he said. "It's a cultural issue," he added. "Making progress
is sometimes like driving a car with both the accelerator and brake pedals
pressed to the floor."
Allegrini plans to soon test-market the screw capped
non-DOC classico wine in the USA market too. However, it is unlikely that
India will see this bottling through the importer Brindco in the near
future. Aman Dhall, the director is also a minority partner with the domestic
producer Grover Vineyards, who have shifted to screwcaps for whites but
reds are still being corked.
The situation is similar with the leading premium wine
producer Sula Vineyard, whose Managing Director Rajeev Samant started
bottling the premium whites in screwcaps after 'studying in detail the
pros and cons'. Another quality wine producer in Nashik, Chateau d'Ori
follows the French model and is sticking to cork for all its labels, at
least for the moment.
Subhash Arora
April 12, 2008 |