Abigail Schwerin is her fathers daughter. She shares winemaking responsibilities with her Dad, Bill Schwerin, a third generation farmer turned winemaker. Together, they head up Sapolil Cellars, a boutique winery in a small corner of Walla Walla Valley in Washington State thats dedicated to creating hand-crafted wines with fruit only from area vineyards.
The Sapolil brand is named after a Native American Indian who played an integral role in the construction of the unique rawhide railway on which rawhide was used in place of iron or steel rails. Carrying forth the territorys pioneering tradition, Sapolil has built an enviable reputation for its bold and original Walla Walla Syrahs and proprietary Syrah blends.
That originality is given further expression in their wines packaging. One of their initial releases, Rawhide Red, featured a hand-applied label and hand-dipped mustard colored wax seal. More recently, their 07 and 08 Chardonnay releases feature the ZORK, a state-of-the-art closure that eliminates cork taint, doesnt require a corkscrew, is recyclable, and costs less than the conventional cork/capsule option.
We didnt choose the screwcap because we think oxygen transfer is critical to wine aging, says Abigail. And weve been disappointed with corks performance because of product loss due to TCA and bottling issues, not to mention the expense. We were looking for alternatives, and then we found the ZORK.
The ZORK closure consists of three components: an outer, tamper-evident cap; an inner foil oxygen barrier; and a plunger that pops like a cork when extracted and is easily reinserted. Because its manufactured in a plant in Tolleson, Arizona, its less costly than imported cork and synthetic and is readily available for domestic production.
Abigail was especially pleased with the ZORKs performance during the recent bottling of their new 08 Gandy Dancer Proprietary Red Blend. The ZORK application literally cut our time in half, she enthused. Unbelievably, we bottled 490 cases in five hours. . .by hand. It was the cleanest, most efficient bottling weve ever done!
Closing the Gap on Wine Closures
Wine closures like cork are not sustainable while Zork Corks alternative solves the problem
In the past when the Schwerins used an automated bottling line, they found it difficult to justify the equipment rental and labor expense for their small production, so they wanted to try hand-applying ZORK. Doing so not only cut the time in half, it cut their costs by a third.
In fact, the father and daughter team love the ZORK so much, they are using it on all their upcoming releases, including a $38 Vineyard Designate Walla Walla Valley Syrah. “We’re confident the ZORK will perform as well for long-aged wines as it does for ready-to drink vintages. Not only does the closure reinforce our forward-thinking brand, it makes it so easy to get to the wine. And, after all, it’s all about the wine.”
Abigail is diligent about tracking the market’s response to her wines and says she’s not heard one negative comment about ZORK. Even in Sapolil’s tasting room, customers are totally accepting. “I always ask for feedback from customers, retailers, and restaurants and their comments have all been positive,” she says. “Even one of our distributors told me bartenders like the closure because it’s so quick, clean, and easy to open, and it efficiently reseals the wine after by-the-glass pours.”
A final testament to ZORK’s wide acceptance? Sapolil’s Chardonnay is currently served in Walla Walla’s most exclusive hotel.
ZORK USA is a division of Portola Packaging, Inc., a U.S.-based global designer, manufacturer, and marketer of recyclable plastic closures, bottles, and related equipment and tooling used for packaging beverages. It holds over 100 design and engineering patents and has 13 manufacturing facilities worldwide, including a state-of-the-art plant in Tolleson, Arizona. The company is introducing ZORK to wineries in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
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