TYPES OF CORK CLOSURES

Natural Cork Closures
The natural cork closure is manufactured by punching a one-piece cork strip. They are produced in many different cylindrical or conical forms and sizes.


Multi-Piece Natural Cork Closure
The multi-piece natural cork closure is manufactured with two or more pieces of natural cork, glued together by an FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA Department of Heath and Human Services)-approved food contact glue. They are closures made from strips of thinner cork which are too thin to produce one-piece natural cork stoppers.

Colmated Natural Cork Closure
Colmated corks are natural cork closures with their pores (lenticels) sealed exclusively with cork dust, which results from rectifying natural cork stoppers. For the cork dust to adhere to the pores (lenticels), FDA-grade natural resin and rubber glues are used, and occasionally in this process, a water-based glue can also be used.

Colmation has two essential benefits:
Improves the visual aspect of the cork closure
Improves its performance

Technical Cork Closures
Technical corks were created for bottled wines that are consumed within a period of two to three years. They consist of a very dense agglomerate cork body with natural cork disks glued on one or both ends. An approved food contact glue is used to bond the disks to the agglomerated cylindrical body.


Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cork Closures
Sparkling wine cork closures are considered to be in the technical cork category, as they are produced from an agglomerate cork granule body. On one of the ends, two or three selected natural cork disks are glued. Sparkling wine cork closures have a larger diameter than average corks. Their larger diameter is essential in retaining the high internal pressures in gasified wine bottles. As the name suggests, these corks were especially conceived to seal champagne, sparkling and gasified wines.

Agglomerated Cork Closures
Agglomerated cork closures are entirely made of granulated cork, derived from by-products that are a result of the manufacture of natural cork closures. Agglomerated cork closures are manufactured by individual molding, by extrusion or block molding. In both methods, approved food contact glues are used to bind the cork granules together.



Capsulated Cork Closures (bar top cork stoppers)
Capsulated corks are natural (or colmated) cork closures with a wooden, PVC, porcelain, metal, glass or other material bonded onto the top of the cork. This stopper is generally used in the bottling of spirits, liquors and fortified wines that are ready for immediate consumption.