Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 TCA – A status report on South African cork closures

TCA – A status report on South African cork closures

Abstract

Cork taint decreases the commercial value of wine as tainted wines are rejected by consumers. Although other compounds in wine and cork can also be responsible for causing a taint, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is regarded as the primary cause of cork taint. As cork taint is often used in marketing campaigns against natural cork closures, manufacturers extended their overall quality control to monitoring TCA levels. Since August 2004 a representative sample of all batches of cork closures that are imported by members of the South African Cork Quality Council (SACQC) are tested for TCA before release into the market. Quality control on TCA is conducted by an independent laboratory, established by the Institute for Wine Biotechnology (Department of Viticulture and Oenology, University of Stellenbosch) and Thalès Wine Cellar Services (Pty) Ltd. In this contribution we report on the current status of TCA in cork closures in South Africa. The analytical methodologies as well as the quality control program that is currently implemented are also outlined.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

J.A. Minnaar

Institute for Wine Biotechnology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

Composition and biological potential of grape and wine phenolic compounds

Polyphenols are common in human diets, primarily in plant-derived food and beverages. They influence multiple sensory properties such as aroma, flavour, colour, and taste, such as astringency and bitterness [1]. The major phenolic compounds in grapes and wines are anthocyanins and tannins (proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins).

Proposal of a procedure for sensory characterisation of wines from different subareas of a same D.O.C. (V.Q.P.R.D.)

In the course of the present work, which is the first part of a study on the “characterization of Barbera dell’Oltrepo Pavese D.O.C.” 30 wines Barbera from 1993 vintage have been compared only regarding their sensory characteristics. An unstructured scale card, composed by 15 descriptors have been used.

Monitoring small-scale alcoholic fermentations using a portable FTIR-ATR spectrometer and multivariate analysis

Although some wine production processes still rely on post-production evaluation and off-site laboratory analysis, the new winemaking industry is aware of a need for a better knowledge of the process to improve the properties of the final product. Thus, more and more wineries are interested in incorporating quality-by-design (QbD) strategies instead of postproduction testing because of the possibility to early detect deviations in fermentation or any other wine process. This would allow to detect unwanted situations and eventually to ‘readjust’ the process, thus minimizing rejects.

El Malvasía en la isla de la Palma

El tema que me corresponde tratar en esta mini conferencia sobre “Caracterización vitivinícola de las Malvasías en Canarias”, es por razones obvias la parte que atañe a la Isla de La Palma.