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Corticeira Amorim won the Innovation & Research prize in the Portuguese Food and Wine “Oscars” - the Revista de Vinhos magazine’s “Os Melhores do Ano 2018” (Best of 2018) awards, held on 1 February in the Alfândega do Porto, with over 900 guests.

The 22nd edition had 100 nominees across 24 categories.

According to the organisers, the awards reflect the “work of total dedication, incessant pursuit of perfection, originality, leadership ability, expertise and industry recognition, and pay tribute to outstanding individuals, companies and products from the worlds of wine, gastronomy and tourism in 2018”.

Other awards included a Career Tribute to Paul Symington (Symington Family Estates); Personality of the Year in Wine to João Roquette (Esporão), and the Wine Tourism award to the 17•56 Museum & Enoteca of the Real Companhia Velha.

Corticeira Amorim makes an unparalleled contribution to Research & Development and Innovation (R & D + I) across all its business units, well in excess of any other player in the cork industry.

The company annually invests €7.5 million in R&D + i, and also makes high investments in autonomous projects, using state-of-the-art technology and exclusive production processes.

The Group’s pioneering R&D + i investments have underpinned its leadership of the sector and Corticeira Amorim now provides state-of-the-art solutions for the world’s most demanding industries based on a 100% sustainable raw material.

In the Cork Stoppers BU, the R&D+I department has focused on the areas of product innovation, improved quality of cork stoppers and increased knowledge of the interaction between cork and wine.

Recent ground-breaking projects include the twist-to-open, Helix® system, and the revolutionary screening technology, NDtech, which offers the world’s first natural cork with a non-detectable TCA guarantee* .

Amorim’s research has improved our understanding of why wine ages better when sealed with cork stoppers - due to the oxygen and phenolic compounds existing within the stopper - and has thereby enabled the company to progressively consolidate the performance of its stoppers.

All these factors underpinned the decision by the Revista de Vinhos magazine to award Corticeira Amorim the Best Innovation & Research prize for 2018.

*releasable TCA content at or below the 0.5 ng/L quantification limit; analysis performed in accordance to ISO 20752.