Oxygen Control Technology

SENSENET’s correlation of oxygen ingress, tasting observations and molecular analysis shows that the ProCork membrane controls oxygen ingress and improves wine quality.

This is further evidence the of the Oxygen link that makes or breaks the wine due to chemical oxidation and microbial activity in the bottle.

In 2019 two bottles of Chateau Teyssier 2008 were tested. Both were corked with natural cork but one cork had the ProCork Oxygen Control Technology. The technology is a semi-crystalline molecular sieve membrane coating the end of the cork.

The oxygen ingress rate of each bottle was measured with a on the spot measurement device patented by ProCork. A measurement head is put on the end of the bottle and it measures the oxygen depleting just above the cork. If the oxygen drops too fast it shows the bottle will have received too much oxygen.

The first bottle had the ProCork natural cork with Oxygen Control technology to make sure it has the optimum amount of oxygen entering the bottle to ensure proper aging.

The other was a natural cork that just happened naturally to have an oxygen ingress faster than desired.

Some natural corks fall into the optimum oxygen zone and some don’t. It’s impossible to know if it will or won’t unless you bottle it and do this test. ProCork on the other hand has a membrane to regulate the oxygen so the range of oxygen ingress is dramatically tightened.

The Chemical analysis on the two bottles was carried out. Oxygen can make or break your wine as it evolves over time in the bottle. That is why it is important that there is a tight range of oxygen ingress to keep the evolution optimal and consistent.

With ProCork Oxygen Control technology the wine had “fresher and brighter nose, molasses fruit/oak development, more fruit volume, sweeter palate” (Peter Scudamore-Smith MW)

Without ProCork technology the wine had excessive Oxygen causing it to be “aged, flat, bretty, palate extracted, dried out, past any drinking window” (Peter Scudamore-Smith MW)

SENSENET’s correlation of oxygen ingress, tasting observations and molecular analysis provide evidence of the Oxygen link that makes or breaks the wine due to chemical oxidation and microbial activity in the bottle.

SENSENET, an independent perfume sensory laboratory in Paris, measured the OTR on the two bottles using the ProCork Oxygen Transfer Instrument and then opened the bottles and measured the flavour molecules in the wine.

With ProCork OTR technology the wine had – 1) higher quantities of fusel alcohols giving “sweeter palate” and “more fruit volume” 2) aromatic compounds giving “molasses fruit/oak development” and “aged fruit/tannin complexity” 3) lower quantities of aldehydes giving “fresher and brighter nose”

Without Procork OTR technology the wine had - sulphur and amine compounds giving “Brett” or mousiness character probably produced by lactic bacteria activity in the bottle.

The detailed validation done at Sensenet can be read