Bee W - Amorim Cork

Masters the wine’s intrinsic aromatics

The ultimate coating for natural cork stoppers

The centuries-old partnership between cork and wine is based on cork’s unrivalled sealing properties, including the fact that it offers an airtight seal, while permitting a microscopic level of oxygen ingress from the stopper itself - which is vital to correct ageing of the wine.

The oxygen ingress from each stopper can be gauged with a high-level of accuracy. The permeability characteristics of the biopolymers used in Bee W^® further enhances the technical capacities of natural whole cork stoppers, delivering low and consistent oxygen ingress rates.

One of the advantages of such precise control is that it enhances the preservation of sulfur dioxide in the wine, which preserves the antioxidant capacity of wines.

Bee W^®is an effective coating and yet completely invisible to the human eye. It is the perfect solution for high-end, age-worthy wines since it further enhances the capacity to guarantee consistent wine flavours and aromas, bottle-to-bottle, together with ensuring premium value and sensory neutrality.

There are some fascinating parallels between cork and beeswax – two of nature’s most remarkable natural products.

Cork’s incredible technical capacities - including its compressibility and ability to store oxygen - is based on its own honeycomb structure, incorporating over 800 million cells in each stopper.

Bee W^®is a perfect match to cork’s own sustainability credentials, leveraging its positive impact on the environmental, social and economic balance that defines sustainability in the 21st Century.

The coating that enhances SO2 preservation in natural corks

SO2 PRESERVATION

The use of Bee W® in our Natural Corks production (using Flour to Super classes) enhances the SO2 preservation due to the low and consistent oxygen ingress.

Figure 1. Free SO2 in a Burgundy Chardonnay wine sealed with different cork closures. The values levels of free SO2 and its variation observed in wines sealed with Bee W® cork stoppers after 24 months are similar to those obtained in wines sealed with technical cork stoppers.

BOTTLE-TO-BOTTLE CONSISTENCY

When compared to a technical cork, Bee W® presents a superior neutrality due to controlled and predictable oxygen ingress.

Figure 2. Concentration of fruity esters in a Chardonnay wine sealed with different cork closures.

SENSORIAL PROPERTIES

Guarantees full aromatic freshness and expression of fruitines, while minimising reductive and oxidative aromas.

Figure 3. Sensorial properties of a Burgundy Chardonnay wine after 24 months of storage sealed with different cork closures.

Stoppers Specifications

Tests	Characteristics	Specifications
Physical-Mechanical	Length (45, 49, 54 mm)	± 0,7 mm
	Moisture	4% - 8%
	Extraction force	15 - 45 daN
Chemical	Peroxide content	≤ 0.1 mg/stopper
Chemical	Dust content	≤ 1.5 mg/ stopper
Enological * Oxigen Ingress per bottle **	6 months	0.8 mg of O2
	12 months	1.1 mg of O2
	Per year, after 1st year	0.01 mg of O2
Sustainability	Biodegradability / Recyclability	Both cork and BeeW are 100% biodegradable and recyclable

* Indicative results for 49x24 mm Extra grade BeeW cork. Analysis performed by colorimetry peer reviewed method. Information’s are available upon request.
** Accurate O2 bottling line ingress measurements is recommended for benchmark results.