Death of the Champagne Cork

Am I out of my ever-loving champagne drinking mind..?

No… Not if Alcan Packaging has any say in it. Say hello to the MAESTRO..! Alcan Packaging’s new alternative to the champagne cork.

Why, you might ask, would anyone want to remove the cork from the champagne equation? Isn’t that part of the bubbly ritual, part of the romance of the bottle?

Umm…

The reasons are twofold. The first regard is for ease-of-use. Have you ever dropped a bottle, or broken a light or nailed somebody with the cork? No more. A simple built-in lever on the cap removes the tense moments of opening a bottle of champagne while still preserving the signature “pop”.

The second and most important benefit in our opinion is the removal of all possibility of TCA, or cork taint. Champagne is even more susceptible to taint than still wine as the bubbles actually increase its effect. Industry estimates theorize that anywhere from 1% to 7% of all bottles have some degree of TCA.

For now, if you want to see the MAESTRO in action, you will need to track down a bottle of the Duval-Leroy cuvee Clos des Bouveries Vintage 2004.

Certainly the industry will react slowly to this new closure method. However, if enough consumers become tired of dealing with cork taint, the MAESTRO may have a bubbly outlook..!

Cheers..!