Corked

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!