Our company developed over the years an accurate processing method, as well as rigorous quality controls, in order to reduce the incidence of cork stoppers defects.

• The very first step is the quality control of the raw material, cork prevalently coming from Spain and Portugal, which must have reached an adequate seasoning (lymph drying) of at least 18 months, according to the process guidelines released by the C.E. Liège, based on the specifications of the University of Piacenza, Faculty of Oenology, and the Cork Experimental Station of Tempio Pausania (Sardinia).
• The boiling phase is made by changing the water daily, in order that the cork can lose most of the tannins it contains, and the process is carried out in collaboration with companies also certified by the C.E. Liège, that run their working processes by following like us the specifications issued by C.E. Liège itself.
• Cork stoppers are divided into batches of 100,000 pieces; each batch is submitted to organoleptic tests and controls to ensure the washers’ tightness in the technical stoppers.
• Once all the tests have been passed, the examined batch goes to the phase of sanitization wash, with successive tests to control the release of oxidizing substances.
• The next step is the cork selection by a computer-controlled machine equipped with three videocameras: two for the heads and one for the side, whose results are then manually checked again.
• Prior to the customized stamping, the humidity level is controlled.
• Once the corks have been stamped, they are lubricated with alimentary silicone, then a test is made to verify the extraction force.
  The process we improved over the years allowed us to reduce the percentage of cork smell cases and other problems caused by the use of cork seals to less than one per thousand.

Though satisfied with the results we obtained, our goal is to proceed with our research and make cork stoppers more and more reliable.