Corked
Have you ever wondered where the cork in your bottle of wine came from? The most logical answer would be Portugal or Spain, where over half of the world’s cork is harvested. In fact, it is the “national tree” of Portugal.
Cork is harvested from the outer bark of the cork oak tree, which has a thicker layer of bark than other trees to help protect the tree from the harsh Mediterranean conditions. Cork trees can live up to 200 years, but they are not ready to harvest their cork until they are 25 years old. A tree, in its lifetime, can be harvested about 15 times. When the cork is harvested, it doesn’t kill the tree. The tree is stripped every nine years in a process known as extraction. The extraction takes place in the summer, when the tree is least susceptible to damage. The first two harvests produce a lower quality cork that is not suitable for wine stoppers. These harvests are typically used for cork flooring and insulation. The third harvest would be suitable for wine closures. It’s not until the tree is in its forties that premium cork will be harvested. The average cork oak tree produces one ton of raw cork, which equates to 65,000 wine stoppers.
How is the cork harvested? The skilled extractors make two cuts into the tree with a sharp long-handled hatchet. The first cut is horizontal and cut around the tree, known as the necklace. Then, a series of cuts are made vertically which are called openings. Then the cork is pried off and set aside to dry.
When cork slabs are processed, holes are punched out to make the bottle stoppers. Cork has been used as bottle closures for more than 400 years. It is possibly the best suited material to use for this because it contains a natural waxy substance called Suberin. This substance makes cork impermeable to liquids and gas, and prevents the cork from rotting. About 60 percent of all cork harvested is used for wine bottle closures.
Scrap cork is grounded up, molded into large blocks, and used to make other cork products such as badminton shuttlecocks, cricket bats, and lines the center of some baseball bats. Cork is also a great material for insulation as its non-allergenic; its fumes are non-toxic if it does catch on fire.
The next time you pull the cork from your wine bottle, think about the neat old cork oak tree that gave its bark to secure your bottle of wine!
Until next time, cheers!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Wines of Georgia
Georgia on My Mind
This may be the Peach State, but grapes are gown here to produce wine! Georgia is producing some award winning wines, which are gaining national recognition. Our mountains combine the perfect terrain, soil, drainage, and elevation necessary for our vineyards to produce wines that reveal this "sense of place," or terroir (soil). Georgia's Wine Country stretches from Savannah to Young Harris, and everywhere in between.
Georgia wine making has had a long tradition of producing sweet to semi-sweet wines from the native Muscadine grape, a hybrid, also known as the "less noble" variety, vs. traditional grapes for wine making. The Muscadine is one of the first indigenous grapes to be cultivated in the US. Muscadines are truly a southern treasure, and Georgia leads the nation in the production of Muscadine grapes, developed primarily by the University of Georgia. Our state is the largest producer of this grape as it grows naturally here and thrives in the hot, humid climate of the south. Be sure to try it with Goat Cheese! Muscadine wine also will pair well with spicy foods, chicken and is a nice sipping wine in the hot months.
In the mid 1990's, grape pioneers started plowing pastures to create a new rush of vineyards and wineries in the North Georgia Mountains. As these pioneers began to select locations for their wineries, consideration of elevation, soil and slope had to be considered. Elevation was an important factor, if they planted the grapes too high, severe cold would hamper ripening and too low with a warmer climate would foster disease problems. North Georgia has its lowest rainfall in the harvest months of August-October, which reduces the risk of rot and mildew. This provides for good harvest conditions to ripen and mature quality fruit. The soils are usually a blend of sandy red clay. Clay doesn't absorb water very easily, allowing most to run off a slope in heavy rain. The ability of the soil to shed the rain, the proper elevation and slope, and the cooling drying breezes allow for optimal conditions for grapes to be grown here in Georgia for wine.
The state is also producing traditional premium wine grapes as well. French-American hybrid grapes of Sevval Blanc, which produces a white wine, are best found at Crane Creek and Tiger Mountain vineyards. The Habersham, Three Sisters, Wolf Mountain and Frogtown Cellars wineries produce wines from Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Take a trip down the Georgia Wine Trail (http://americaswinetrails.com/wine-trails/georgia-wineries/) and taste what the North Georgia wineries have to offer!
Until next time, cheers!
This may be the Peach State, but grapes are gown here to produce wine! Georgia is producing some award winning wines, which are gaining national recognition. Our mountains combine the perfect terrain, soil, drainage, and elevation necessary for our vineyards to produce wines that reveal this "sense of place," or terroir (soil). Georgia's Wine Country stretches from Savannah to Young Harris, and everywhere in between.
Georgia wine making has had a long tradition of producing sweet to semi-sweet wines from the native Muscadine grape, a hybrid, also known as the "less noble" variety, vs. traditional grapes for wine making. The Muscadine is one of the first indigenous grapes to be cultivated in the US. Muscadines are truly a southern treasure, and Georgia leads the nation in the production of Muscadine grapes, developed primarily by the University of Georgia. Our state is the largest producer of this grape as it grows naturally here and thrives in the hot, humid climate of the south. Be sure to try it with Goat Cheese! Muscadine wine also will pair well with spicy foods, chicken and is a nice sipping wine in the hot months.
In the mid 1990's, grape pioneers started plowing pastures to create a new rush of vineyards and wineries in the North Georgia Mountains. As these pioneers began to select locations for their wineries, consideration of elevation, soil and slope had to be considered. Elevation was an important factor, if they planted the grapes too high, severe cold would hamper ripening and too low with a warmer climate would foster disease problems. North Georgia has its lowest rainfall in the harvest months of August-October, which reduces the risk of rot and mildew. This provides for good harvest conditions to ripen and mature quality fruit. The soils are usually a blend of sandy red clay. Clay doesn't absorb water very easily, allowing most to run off a slope in heavy rain. The ability of the soil to shed the rain, the proper elevation and slope, and the cooling drying breezes allow for optimal conditions for grapes to be grown here in Georgia for wine.
The state is also producing traditional premium wine grapes as well. French-American hybrid grapes of Sevval Blanc, which produces a white wine, are best found at Crane Creek and Tiger Mountain vineyards. The Habersham, Three Sisters, Wolf Mountain and Frogtown Cellars wineries produce wines from Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Take a trip down the Georgia Wine Trail (http://americaswinetrails.com/wine-trails/georgia-wineries/) and taste what the North Georgia wineries have to offer!
Until next time, cheers!
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