Alcoa has begun commercial production of Vino-Lok, its glass on glass closure system for wine bottles that it developed as an alternative to corks and synthetic stoppers. Alcoa will supply the new glass closures to several wineries in Europe. Lufthansa plans to offer its passengers a line of premium wines that use the glass stopper early next year.

"The Vino-Lok closure system fills a need in the wine industry, which has sought alternatives to natural cork that meets both the quality and aesthetic demands of connoisseurs," said Siegfried Landskrone of Alcoa. "We have more than 100 wineries in Europe purchasing the Vino-Lok stopper for their premier wines, and we have several commitments from winemakers in Australia and South Africa," Landskrone said.

The vino lock closure looks like a decorative decanter stopper, and it is recyclable. Made with rubberized O-rings, the glass stopper provides a sterile seal, preventing contamination or oxidation. An aluminum cap over the bottle will ensure mechanical protection and temper evidence.

The Vino-Lok Selection with a glass stopper is the first product in a portfolio of wine closures that Alcoa CSI is currently developing as an alternative to traditional wine stoppers.

A one-year independent test recently conducted by scientists and wine experts from the prestigious Geisenheim Institute for Applied Enological Sciences and the Oppenheim/Rheinhessen State Teaching and Testing Institute indicates that Alcoa CSI's vino lock closure system meets parameters for technical as well as taste performance compared to traditional wine closures.

Alcoa CSI's Vino-Lok wine closure is also the winner of several prominent awards for packaging, sealing, and design.

Alcoa Closure Systems manufactures plastic closures utilizing a compression molding process.

Alcoa produces and manages primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina facilities.