The tiniest concentrations - as little as three or four parts to a trillion - can spoil the taste of the product contained in the bottle. This is caused by a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. Recent years have seen the end of the virtual monopoly of cork as the material for bottle stoppers, due to concerns about the effect it may have on the contents of the bottle. Over 60% of cork then goes on to be made into traditional bottle stoppers, with most of the remainder being used in the construction trade, Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of concrete. It is then dried on the ground for about four months, before being taken to factories, where it is boiled to kill any insects that might remain in the cork. The most skilful cork- strippers prise away a semi-circular husk that runs the length of the trunk from just above ground level to the first branches. First, they make vertical cuts down the bark using small sharp axes, then lever it away in pieces as large as they can manage. No mechanical means of stripping cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers. If the bark is stripped on a day when it’s too cold - or when the air is damp - the tree will be damaged.Ĭork harvesting is a very specialised profession.
You even have to wait for the right kind of summer’s day to harvest cork. And for top-quality cork, it’s necessary to wait a further 15 or 20 years. From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes 25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an individual tree. Cork production is, above all, an exercise in patience. Many of these family businesses, and indeed many of the trees themselves, are around 200 years old. Southern Portugal’s Alentejo region meets all of these requirements, which explains why, by the early 20th century, this region had become the world’s largest producer of cork, and why today it accounts for roughly half of all cork production around the world.
Like grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep root in search of moisture and nutrients. They flourish in warm, sunny climates where there is a minimum of 400 millimetres of rain per year, and no more than 800 millimetres. It also has an elasticity that means you can squash it and watch it spring back to its original size and shape when you release the pressure.Ĭork oaks grow in a number of Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco. The cells are filled with air, which is why cork is so buoyant. Developed most probably as a defence against forest fires, the bark of the cork oak has a particular cellular structure - with about 40 million cells per cubic centimetre - that technology has never succeeded in replicating. Its bark grows up to 20 cm in thickness, insulating the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches and keeping the inside at a constant 20☌ all year round. It has also been used for millennia: the ancient Egyptians sealed then sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals.Īnd the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree. It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes.
Cork - the thick bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) - is a remarkable material.
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