Silktop® Technical Corks

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Many wines do not benefit from extended cellaring and are intended to be consumed within three to four years after bottling. While still offering the visual appeal and customer experience of natural cork, technical corks provide an economical alternative for these wines. For over 20 years, M.A. Silva has produced technical cork products. Today, the quality and performance of our agglomerated products leads the industry.

Technical corks consist of a granulated body capped with a high-quality natural cork disk at each end. Cork granules resulting from the production of our natural cork products, are first washed using our proprietary SARA process. High pressure steam technology drives volatile compounds from the cork cells while keeping the cell structure in place.

The Silktop technical cork consists of an agglomerated body with solid cork ends. This combination presents natural cork to both the wine and to the consumer while retaining properties similar to our natural cork offerings. They deliver a dependable seal, consistent insertion and extraction performance, below sensory level TCA and other off-aromas, combined with outstanding visual appearance.

General Information

Applications
Silktop® stoppers are designed primarily for mid-range wines which may benefit from short-term aging. This is an interesting product that takes advantage of technological innovations at a competitive price.

Sizes
Silktop® corks are offered in 23.5x38mm and 23.5x45mm sizes.

Quality
Four classes are offered, listed in descending order, are Flor, Noble, Appeal, and Prom. Each grade is defined by the visual quality of its natural cork disk ends.

Durability
Silktop corks are recommended for wines, which will be consumed within three to four years

Technical Specifications

DIMENSIONAL
Length: Nominal ± 0.5 mm
Diameter: Nominal ± 0.3 mm
Ovalization: <1.0mm

PHYSICAL
Moisture: 5%-7% moisture content
Dimensional Recovery: >96%
Density: Nominal ± 40 Kg/m3
Resistance to boiling water: No disintegration

FUNCTIONAL
Extraction Force: 15 daN – 45 daN (coated corks only)
Sealing Ability: No leakage at 2 bar
Capillarity: <1 mm
Torsion: <35º
Shearing strength: ≥ 6 daN/cm2

STORAGE Use before: 6 months
Storage humidity: 40% - 70% RH, non-condensing
Storage temperature: 15ºC - 20ºC, 59ºF - 68ºF
Location: Store in a clean, well ventilated, odorless place away from chlorine products.