Czech republic
St. Claire’s Vineyard
Using Vinolok™ since
2012
Winemaking
No inert gas, use sulphites, wine stored in tanks and barrels Nadalie 225 and 500 l of different ages, red wine stored for at least 2 years in oak barrels.
Why Vinolok™
They chose to adopt the Vinolok™ glass closure after encountering the detrimental impact of TCA-contaminated closures on a portion of their 2011 vintage. Since then, they have exclusively employed Vinolok™ for their white, rosé, and selected red wines, ensuring no alteration in flavour or aroma.
About
The Botanical Gardens assumed control of the vineyard in 1995, continuing a history that spans nearly 800 years. The first wine of the new era that visitors were able to taste was the 2004 vintage, produced by Vladimíra Egertová, the wine production technologist, and Martin Beránek, the vineyard’s curator. Since then, they have been producing successful and award-winning wines together. Hand harvesting is a matter of course, and contributes greatly to the selection of truly healthy and ripe raw material, which is further transformed into great wine by the technologist’s hand. St Claire’s Vineyard is proof that a small team can achieve great things, if they are committed to the result.
Beginning
The transition to glass closures was very easy for the winery; they went straight to bottling. They used their 0.5l Bordeauxstyle bottles, and slightly modified the existing bottling equipment. They also had the advantage of knowing winemakers who had good experience with Vinolok™, and were immediately impressed by how luxurious the closures looked on the bottles. The design aspect of the glass closure helped to convince the rest of the team.
Experience
In the beginning they didn’t expect such development of wines, they were surprised that the wines kept their freshness even after several years of ageing. They make the wines using ‘fresh technology’, so they are generally not made for long-term ageing, but their internal tests show that red wines can work very well under Vinolok™.
Grape varieties
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewürztraminer
Pinot Noir
So far, the oldest red wine we have under glass closure is the 2015 vintage, and our tests show that the glass closure slows down the ageing of the wine, but keeps it fresh. This is unique in the world of closures.
Martin Beránek
Vineyard curator
For me, the first encounter with the Vinolok™ glass closure was a moment of clarity. It fit perfectly into our bottle and we knew it would preserve the freshness of
our wines. There was no doubt that it was the perfect fit.
Vladimíra Egertová
Wine production technologist