Whitehall Lane Winery Selects Alcoa Vino-Seal(TM) Glass Closures for its 2003 Reserve Cabernet Bottling; First Commercial Use of New Alcoa Designed Glass Wine Closure

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) and Whitehall Lane Winery of NapaValley, California, jointly announce today that Whitehall Lane is thefirst winery in the world to seal its bottles of select premium wineswith the Alcoa developed Vino-Seal(TM) closure, an elegant glassclosure for wine bottles secured by a traditional tin capsule. This isthe first commercial use of this new glass closure designed by Alcoa'sClosure Systems International (CSI) business as an alternative totraditional corks and synthetic stoppers for the wine market. Theinnovative sealing system was used to top 45,000 bottles of WhitehallLane premium 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 3,000 bottles of itspremium 2003 Leonardini Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Vino-Seal(TM) is an elegant alternative to cork and syntheticstoppers," said Whitehall Lane owner Thomas Leonardini. "The glassstopper makes perfect sense. It is attractive, functional andeliminates the problems associated with natural cork."

With a design similar to a decorative decanter stopper,Vino-Seal(TM) was developed as an alternative to traditional winestoppers. It provides an ideal seal ensuring the wine retains itspurity of flavor and aroma. Vino-Seal(TM) uses an inert o-ring toprovide a sterile seal, preventing contamination or oxidation.

Vino-Seal(TM) is the U.S. cousin of the Vino-Lok 'glass on glass'wine closure also developed by Alcoa CSI in Germany, which iscurrently being used by 350 wineries throughout Europe to top theirpremium wines. "The only difference between the two glass stoppers isthat Vino-lok uses an aluminum cover cap, while Vino-Seal(TM) uses atin capsule, which is more in line with North American winepackaging," said Laura Clark, Adult Beverage Marketing Manager, AlcoaCSI.

Benefits of Vino-Seal(TM)

There are several benefits to adopting the Vino-Seal(TM) glasswine closure. The two Whitehall Lane Cabernets will develop moreslowly in the Vino-Seal(TM) bottle than in a traditional cork sealedbottle giving it longer aging potential. "However, the greatestbenefit is that the possibility of cork taint ruining the bottle agedwith a Vino-Seal(TM) closure system is zero," said Leonardini. "And,the bottle can also be safely aged standing up."

Vino-Seal is also easy to open - no corkscrew needed. Simply cutor score the foil around the bottom of the drip ring bead on thebottle, then pull out the stopper. With this new idea, there alsocomes a second advantage: It is resealable. The contents of alreadyopened bottles can now be sealed easily over and over again. Inaddition, the decorative stopper appeals to the aesthetic demands ofconnoisseurs.

Whitehall Lane winemaker Dean Sylvester has worked with Alcoa formore than two years researching and evaluating the glass closure."Bottling went very smoothly, and the wine is showing beautifully," hesaid. Sylvester and Alcoa will continue to evaluate the aging of the2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. "As a winemaker, I'm excited to seehow the wine evolves," Sylvester said, "If all goes as expected, wewill expand the program to incorporate more of our wines."

The 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will retail for $75 and iscurrently available at the winery, wine shops and fine restaurantsthroughout the United States. The 2003 Leonardini Vineyard CabernetSauvignon will retail for $100 and will be released in Fall 2006.

Vino-Seal(TM) is the first U.S. product in a portfolio of wineclosures that Alcoa CSI is developing as an alternative to traditionalwine stoppers.

The package for the 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon uses Alcoa'sVino-Seal(TM) closure in conjunction with a specifically designedbottle from Encore Glass. The capsule was made by River Cap USA.

About Whitehall Lane Winery

Whitehall Lane is a small, family owned winery in Napa Valley'sRutherford appellation. The Leonardini Family owns approximately 125acres of Napa Valley vineyards and produces 50,000 cases of CabernetSauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay annually. WhitehallLane continues to use natural cork in two of the wines it produces andfollows strict guidelines in selecting cork. It also uses screw capson four of its bottlings - including the Sauvignon Blanc and halfbottles of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

About Alcoa CSI

Alcoa Closure Systems International, Inc. (CSI), a part of AlcoaInc., is recognized as a world leader in closure design, manufacturingand closure application systems. In addition to quality closures andcapping equipment, Alcoa CSI provides a global network of technicalservice and support to all key markets. Major markets includecarbonated soft drinks, food, juice and isotonic, bottled water, beer,dairy, wine and distilled spirits, personal care, and automotivefluids. In its 27 locations and offices worldwide, Alcoa CSI employsnearly 3,000 people. The company is guided by principles of strictcustomer satisfaction, total quality manufacturing and technicalservice, all tied to specific customer needs. For more information onAlcoa CSI, visit their website at www.alcoacsi.com.

About Alcoa

Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primaryaluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active inall major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace,automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercialtransportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering,production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers.In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also marketsconsumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) foils and plastic wraps,Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its otherbusinesses are closures, fastening systems, precision castings, andelectrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has129,000 employees in 43 countries and has been named one of the topmost sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forumin Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com