Greetings from Richard Heritage and Sean Comninos (Heritage winemaker),
Richard Heritage
Sean Comninos, winemaker
We are excited to announce that we are the first winery in New Jersey to implement Stelvin screw caps! These screw caps will be used for our ever so popular Jersey Wines. Though many of our fans are excited about this new closure, some have expressed resistance to the screw cap. We greatly appreciate the feedback and below we have provided some information behind why we decided to make the change.
Below is the short bullet point list and farther below are expanded explanations and some photos!
1) Screw caps are more environmentally friendly than corks.
2) These things aren’t cheap. They are premium Stelvin screw caps with highly technical liners which are tailor-made for wine.
3) No more corked wines! Did you know that Wine Spectator estimates 3.7% of wines are corked? Corked wines are flawed due to cork taint resulting in a bottle that is undrinkable. This is why the waiter has you first smell the wine before serving. Wines with screw caps are not subject to cork taint.
4) Screw caps dramatically increase consistency from one bottle to another. They also preserve aromas, flavors and freshness.
Expanded explanations. As you can see below, we didn’t make this decision lightly!
♦ Not Your Average Screw Cap
– When a wine transitions away from cork many see the screw cap as “cheap”.
– All must know that we are using a premium Stelvin screw cap. The Stelvin closure is VERY different than those caps used by Boons Farm and Manischewitz. The Stelvin cap combines a glass finish known as BVS and highly technical liners which are tailor-made for wine, resulting in a superior quality.
♦ Every Year Heritage Vineyards Makes Conscious Efforts to Reduce Environmental Impact
– For example, in 2011 a small solar field was installed to completely power the Heritage Tasting Room!
– Regarding screw caps, corks are harvested from cork trees and with the rise of world-wide wine production it is our duty to try and reduce our usage of tree products. Aluminum is widely recycled in all regions of the world, including aluminum from packaging.
♦ Heritage Embraces Innovation
– Yes the screw cap is still a new concept in the wine industry, but over the past decade consumer acceptance has been very much on the rise. Some of the finest Pinot Noirs from California & Oregon embrace the screw cap along with big and bold Cabernets and Merlots from Washington State.
– The Wine Institute in California has done decades of screw cap research and they also give their stamp of approval.
– Heritage Vineyards is very excited to be the FIRST New Jersey winery sell wines with Stelvin screw caps. We pride ourselves on increased wine quality and embracing innovation. We want to thank our fans for their continued support and feedback!
Cheers!
Richard Heritage & Sean Comninos
