Commitment to quality and sustainability with one million carbon-negative closures
When it comes to a cork, “natural” is better, right? The answer for us is yes…and no. Traditional natural cork – what we have been using since 2008 – has two potentially significant problems:
- Natural variation between corks in porousness, which can lead to significant differences in oxidation in wine (see: white Burgundy & premox)
- Cork taint, the musty, wet dog smell caused by a cork infected with TCA
We took a deep dive into corks last year for our newest project, Marine Layer, specifically looking for environmentally responsible, quality closures, which brought us to Diam. What we found was not only a natural cork, but one that was technologically advanced and carbon-negative – Diam Origine. Because of the quality and sustainability, we have decided to invest in these corks not only for Marine Layer, but also for Averaen, Valravn, and Requiem – a commitment to over one million Diam Origine corks.
Origine by Diam is a relatively new product, and we are one of the earliest and most significant adopters in the industry. This “technological cork” is made by grinding natural cork, cleaning it with their patented supercritical (a state between liquid and gas) CO2 cleaning process, and then putting it back together with plant-based renewable polymers and beeswax (100% natural and makes the corks totally watertight), Diam produces a cork with uniform consistency, elasticity, customizable permeability and guaranteed free of TCA.
In addition to the quality benefits, Origine is also the most environmentally sustainable option available:
- Entire cork is utilized, as opposed to pieces punched out of a sheet
- Corks are only treated with CO2, not any chemicals
- Since it is a closed process, the CO2 is even recycled
- At the production level, Diam corks have a negative carbon footprint
- 100% recyclable, ironically unlike natural corks
We put a tremendous amount of time & energy into producing great wines at great price points. Part of that work involves ensuring that these wines arrive at our customer’s table tasting just the way we intended them to, bottle after bottle. We’re proud to work with Diam and their Origine corks as an integral part of our process.
About Valkyrie Selections
Valkyrie Selections, founded in 2011, is a Healdsburg based wine company that produces wines from Sonoma County, California (Valravn), Willamette Valley, Oregon (Averaen), Columbia Valley Washington (Requiem), and Sonoma Coast, California (Marine Layer), as well as importing a portfolio of wines from France, Spain, and England.
