Amorim ‘aggressively’ targets mainstream

Corticeira Amorim is aiming to increase its share of the high volume wine market with the launch of a new, more competitively priced natural cork stopper.

Called Acquamark, the closure takes its name from new technology, which uses a water-based coating to fill in the gaps that occur naturally within a cork’s cell structure. According to Amorim, this ensures “maximum sealing capacity, ensuring total particle retention when the cork is in the bottle.”

Setting out ambitious plans for Acquamark, Amorim’s communication director Carlos de Jesus called the new stopper “a welcome addition to Amorim’s product mix as it allows us to compete aggressively with producers of alternative closures, particularly in the ‘basic’ and ‘popular premium’ sectors of the wine market.”

With the company defining this sector as representing “almost 80%” of global wine sales, de Jesus explained: “New technology means we can produce a cost effective natural cork closure for sectors where price competition is at its fiercest.”

Sharing the same recyclable and biodegradable properties as other natural corks, Acquamark joins an Amorim range that runs from its top-end hand-punched whole corks through to its Twin Top and Champagne stoppers, as well as recent launches such as Helix, a twist-open option for still wines.

Stressing the company’s aim to compete effectively on both price and quality with the similarly innovative synthetic and screwcap sectors, de Jesus stated: “Our aim is to provide a range of stoppers that offer all the advantages of natural cork, but are available at every price point.”

Claiming that “some of our cork closures currently undercut alternative stoppers by as much as 50%”, he concluded: “Cork is not just the natural choice. It can also be the ‘alternative to the alternatives’.’’

A more detailed look at what’s driving innovation across the closures sector, including some of the latest products on the market, will appear in August’s issue of the drinks business.

Meanwhile, click here to see just some of the many steps that go into producing different cork stoppers, from harvesting the bark to rigorous quality testing processes.