DIAM corks, which are produced by France-based DIAM Bouchage SAS and distributed by G3 in the US, has outperformed other natural corks, synthetics and glass closures and has positive perception among consumers, according to a qualitative research by Full Circle Wine Solutions (FCWS).

The study, which was conducted by FCWS master sommelier, president and chief education officer Evan Goldstein, also revealed that both trade and consumers are now accepting different varieties of wine closures.

Under the study, Goldstein asked participants their perceptions and preferences towards different types of closures and found that DIAM closures were the most preferred based on different categories such as emotional acceptance, functionality, impact on taste and quality perception.

DIAM is a technological closure, which is manufactured from cork and treated by the patented DIAMANT process that uses super-critical CO2 to eradicate 2, 4, 6 – trichloroanisole (TCA) and 150 other compounds.

According to the study, DIAM closures did well in the category of white and heavy red wines, wines aged over ten years and also among wines aged for 3-5 years and 5-10 years.

The study also tested the consistency of bottled wine quality that are closed with natural and DIAM closures by placing 36 bottles of wine side-by-side for blind tasting and found that 2% of wine samples under natural cork were tainted, compared to 0% under DIAM closures.

Goldstein said they were happy to see the developments within the closure industry.

"With consumers more accepting than ever of a variety of wine closures, the professionals we spoke to are eager to see more research on ‘cork taint’ as well as how these closures may aid long term bottle aging," he added.