SPECIFIC WASHING OF THE DISKS 
(OR HOW TO AVOID "CORKINESS")

The reasons for the poor behaviour of the champagne cork discs, in its various manifestations such as lack of organoleptic deterioration of the wines, expansion, resilience and air-tightness is, no doubt, due to the anomalies in the structural characteristics of the cork used and the processes which it is subject to. In 1974 BUREAU and in 1977 CHARPENTIER, stablished that the anomalous flavours present in champagne wines were due to the existence of fungi and yeasts developed in the cork pores and lenticels.
E. TRACHSLER, S.A., aware of this problem and echoing the above statements, has developed and applied a washing technique of the disks in order to improve their salubrity status and structural balance.
This treatment entails the following steps:

A/ Washing of the disks with specific , inert, non-toxic, non-reacting products, both for the wine and the cork, totally free from any potential side-effect or incompatibility.

B/ Such process is carried out by:
- Chemical deodorizing by inactivation of the phenols and residual tannin in the cork boiling process, as well as mineral salts.
- Acting upon the metabolites witha potential formation trichloroanisoles (TCA) and pentachlorophenols (PCF).
- Acting upon any rest of pesticide, fungicide and parasit killer in the formulation of organochlorated and organophosforized compounds due to forest treatments.

The above actions result in:

- Enhanced structural regeneration power with resilience, elasticity and plasticity increase by draining the plasmoderms (photo 4) through recovery and regeneration of the cork typical fatty acids , as well as an increased flexibility in the alveolar membranes.
- Higher protection versus wine attacks, thus extending the cork life in the bottle, maintaining its recovery (mushrooming effect) as well as its inalterability, air-tightness and sealing.

C/ In practice , such treatment will bring about:
- The elimination of flavour releases to the wine bouquet.
- A maximum recovery of the disks, even in the long-term, and a higher protection against the natural wine attacks.

D/ In the following series of photographs the action of this treatment can be observed. A number of disks pertaining to the same lot and the same quality are split in two coded subgroups as follows:

3 (Untreated disks) - 3/R (treated disks)

Cork structure:
In photograph number 1 (cork after treatment) you will notice that the cork structure is neither modified nor deteriorated by the effects of the washing, thus maintaining the pentagon or hexagon section polyhedron matrix layout.

Detailed study of the cell structure (1500-2000 magnification):
In photographs 2 and 3 (untreated disks), a clear presence of fungi filamentous threads and conidium can be seen, as well as an obvious obstruction of the intracell channels. Such problem is resolved in photograph 4 (treated disks) where such fungi proliferation has been removed and a clear improvement in the cleanness of the intracell channels and walls can be seen.

E/ Analytical results:

The corresponding results point to a 99.9% decrease in fungal contamination levels, which move from the 570, 000 Colony Forming Units / gram (CFU/g) of the treated cork to the 310 CFU/g of the same cork following treatment.

Similarly, during the analysis carried out on the washing fluid, the noteworthy detection of tannins, phenols and mineral salts extracted from the cork during the washing process proves the effectiveness of said trea

F/ Tests on Product Migration During Washing

In order to complement these tests and to prove the presence/absence of residual products derived from the washing treatment, we have commissioned the Reims Oenological Laboratory to perform soak tests using both washed and unwashed rings.

A comparison of the water after soaking in each case produced the following results:

pH of water used for soaking:

We can deduce from the fact that there was a nil difference between the pH of the two solutions, that the washing process does not produce any effects altering acidity or alkalinity.

Dry residue of migrated substances:

A considerable reduction in dry residue mass is seen for the washed rings, compared with the unwashed rings, which represents the elimination of substances that could otherwise be transferred to the wine during its long-term contact with the cork stopper.

Fungicides, parasiticides or other chemical agents:

The results of the test conducted was negative, thus showing that the rings were free from any substance from that chemical family or from any other.

G/ Conclusion:

In short, the double effect of this specific washing treatment consists, firstly, of a processing of the cork which enhances its beneficial effect when in contact with the wine and, secondly, a regeneration of the suberose tissue. In so doing, no loss of those important elements which are necessary for the maturing of wine (polyphenols, vanillin, etc.) is observed, and no addition of any extraneous substances.

 [Raw material] [Comparative study] [Control Q] [Washing of the Disks] [Other products]

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