New bubbly stopper keeps the fizz

Kiwis could soon be saying goodbye to taking out the light bulb with a flying cork and anointing guests with a spray of bubbly.

 

There's a new bottle closure in town - a screw top equivalent for champagne. It's easy to open, removes the risk of cork taint, stops flying bottletops and can reseal a bottle of sparkling wine, keeping it fresh and fizzy. But there's a catch. All the new benefits come with a softer "pop" than from a conventional cork.

 

The SPK closure, developed in Australia, twists off like a screw top and has internal components which lock on to the bottle, seal it against leakage and provide a barrier to keep the carbon dioxide bubbles in.

 

Although the new bottle-tops have been used abroad for several years, they've only recently arrived in New Zealand. According to Cuisine magazine, the first bottle using the SPK closure was Fierte Individual Vineyard Cuvee - sold through the New Zealand Wine Society.

 

The SPK top is also used on the sparkling sauvignon produced by popular Australian wine maker Allan Scott and stocked at North Island bottle store Glengarry.

 

Glengarry general manager Liz Wheadon said the new closure system was easy to use, cut the chance of cork taint, and was beginning to be used on premium sparkling wines sold in New Zealand.

 

"While you can get all romantic about it and think that opening a bottle with a cork in it sounds better, it's actually better if the wine tastes good," said Wheadon.

 

There had been no complaints from customers. "Most customers, particularly in New Zealand, are very accepting of alternative closures on bottles. We were one of the earliest adopters of screw caps in the world."

 

But it doesn't quite cut it for some partygoers. Auckland socialite Ricardo Simich, director of One Agency and the man tasked with seating celebrities at Fashion Week, is adamant celebrations must start with a big bang.

 

He reckons all sparkling wine, whether "methode traditionnelle" or bona fide French champagne, had to come accompanied with a cork.

 

He sees nothing wrong with a bit of champagne-related danger. Yes, he's seen someone getting hit in the eye by a flying cork, but reckons a frisson of fear only adds to the sense of anticipation. "You can't replace that, can you?"

 

We test the new fizz bottle-top:

 

At first the SPK looks like normal champagne bottle-top, but when the foil is peeled back it reveals a black plastic top.

 

The base of the enclosure tears off in a spiral, then the lid itself lifts off the bottle with a little twisting effort, but far less than for a standard cork.

 

There was even a decent pop of escaping gas, but little vapour and definitely no spray.

 

Resealing the bottle was simple - you push down the middle of the device, fit it over the bottle top, and push down.