Uncategorised

Screw cap innovation removes wine preservatives at the push of a button

AN innovative bottle closure with the potential to significantly reduce wine allergies is being developed in Australia’s most famous wine region.

Barossa Valley brothers Joshua and Simon Schmidt started their South Australian company Vinnovate in 2012 and have developed a bottle closure that releases a solution to reduce the impact of preservatives or add subtle flavours to wine.

When activated, by pressing a button on top of the screw cap, the solution is mixed with the wine and binds to free sulfites, removing their preservative properties and reducing their ability to cause a reaction.

The Vinnovate invention has beaten more than 100 Australian and New Zealand industry innovations to take out the Brancott Estate Winexplorer Challenge.

Co-founder and chief innovation officer Joshua Schmidt said the award – a $35k cash prize plus the opportunity to work with Pernod Ricard to bring the product to market – was a huge thrill.

“We believe that the Winexplorer Challenge has validated our idea and it now gives us a springboard from which to go forward,” he said.

He said it would be up to the consumer as to whether they activated the solution or not.

Sulfites, or sulphur dioxide, is a preservative widely used in winemaking because of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Common reactions to sulfites include headaches and red, itchy skin.

Vinnovate Managing Director Simon Schmidt is a winemaker while Joshua’s background is in marketing, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical industry.

The Schmidt brothers have developed prototypes and have commenced discussions with a number of wineries around trials.

Joshua said he hoped for a commercial release towards the end of the year.

“It’s our vision to see this as the next generation screw cap closure for wine,” he said.

“We currently are talking to some wineries about this and it’s our goal that this would be inclusive wine packaging.”

“We believe this has tremendous widespread appeal and application just like how the Clare Valley was an early adopter of the screw cap 40-odd years ago.”

Send this to a friend