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SOME FACTS
Spain and Portugal together contribute 80% of the worlds production and export of
cork Spain accounting for 26% and Portugal 54%
60% of all cork production goes into stoppers for wine bottles.

Records of corks use to seal containers by the Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans

It wasnt until the 1600s, however, that the real milestone was set for using cork as
a bottle-stopper. This was when the French monk, Dom Prignon, hit on the idea of
using the material as a wine closure.

The worlds first cork stopper factory opened in around 1750, in Anguine in Spain.

Today, the industry is estimated to employ some 100,000 people, 37,000 of whom
are directly involved in harvesting.

The harvesting of cork is, in fact, a long term affair. It is, of course, the bark of the
cork oak tree that is harvested to make cork products and the harvesting is done
without killing the tree. Although this process allows the cork oak a productive life of
some 150 years, the tree is not ready for its first harvest until it is about 20 years
old. The first harvest yields a poor quality cork, which can only be used for
agglomerated cork products. Subsequent harvests occur at nine-year intervals,
when the useable bark reaches a thickness of about 1-2 inches (2-5 cm). The
harvest from a young tree yields about 35 lb (16 kg) of cork, while the yield from
mature trees can reach 500 lb (225 kg).


THE END OF CORK?
Cork stoppers and wine just belong together
the promotional campaigns directed at
saving the cork industry concentrate
largely on the ecological sustainability of
the production methods. They are
promoted as being environmentally
friendly because production is entirely
organic and its products and by-
products are recyclable.
5 advantages of cork stoppers
Cork as a natural material has lots of advantages

First advantage: sealing of the bottle: If you close a bottle with a cork
stopper, not a drop gets out. Cork is impermeable and seals the bottleneck beautifully. For these purposes it is
used for the closure of champagne bottles, where the cork has to keep the pressure of 45 atm.
Second advantage: aging: Wines that are intended for a long term archiving have to
have good quality stoppers. The cork allows wine to age in the time of the archiving, thanks to the micro oxidation.
Quality cork stoppers keep their characteristics for several decades and allow the wine to archive for a long period
of time.
Third advantage: wine age indicator: Thanks to the cork stopper we can
tentatively establish the age of the wine inside of the bottle. The cork closed in the bottleneck gets harder in time.
The older the wine, the harder the cork stopper. If someone tries to tell you that you are drinking a very old wine,
but the cork stopper is soft, they are most probably trying to mislead you.
Fourth advantage: symbol of the wine quality: High quality natural
cork stopper is very often the symbol of quality of the offered wine. Prices of these stoppers are not too high and
the stoppers are made of one piece of cork bark, not from many pieces of cork.
Fifth advantage: tradition: Cork stopper and bottle of wine just belong together. The
opening of wine has become a small ceremony when tasting wine in the wineries and restaurants. Imagine how we
would as customers look at the waiter bringing us a bottle of quality, very expensive wine and started turning the
screw cup. We would probably not believe the quality of this wine. In many cases this could mean the loss of
customers.

More advantages
Sustainably harvested bark
Cork harvesting is an environmentally friendly process during which not a single tree is cut
down. The bark renews itself ready for the next harvesting.

Unlike its synthetic counterparts, cork is an inherently sustainable resource, both renewable
and biodegradable. The cork oak tree (Quercus suber) is unique in that its thick bark can be
stripped off every decade to extract the cork without damaging the trees, which can live 170 to
250 years on average.

Careful forest management not only provides for the continued extraction of the cork oak but
helps to create the conditions for a diverse range of other products that are harvested from the
woodlands. A harmonious balance is maintained, where local people can provide for their needs
without damaging the ecosystem or threatening the long-term sustainability of their most
important natural resource.

The cork oak is a slow growing tree that may live for 200 years, which allows it, on average, to
be stripped 16 times during its lifetime. The first stripping only takes place after 25 years, when
the trunk of the tree has a circumference of 70 cm.
Biodiversity hotspot

Cork oak trees help to conserve soil by providing protection against
wind erosion and increasing the rate at which rainwater infiltrates
and recharges groundwater.

Cork oak landscapes cover approximately 2.7 million hectares of
Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France. As well
as providing a vital source of income for more than 100,000 people,
these landscapes also support one of the highest levels of
biodiversity among forest habitats. The Mediterranean is one of the
25 global hot spots characterized by a high level of species
diversity (Myers & al, 2000.)
Naturally sequesters carbon

In comparison to the aluminium and plastic closures, the cork
stopper is the best alternative in terms of non-renewable energy
consumption, emission of greenhouse effect gases, contribution to
the formation of photochemical oxidants, contribution to the
eutrophication of surface water and total production of solid waste.
The capture of carbon by the cork oaks during the photosynthesis
process results in plant growth and transforms atmospheric CO2
into O2 and, in the case of organic matter, into cellulose. For this
reason the forest is considered to be an important carbon sink.
Biodegradable and recyclable
Cork is a truly sustainable product it is renewable and
biodegradable. Cork harvesting is an environmentally
friendly process during which not a single tree is cut
down. The bark renews itself ready for the next
harvesting.
Unlike its synthetic counterparts, cork is an inherently
sustainable resource, both renewable and
biodegradable. The cork oak tree (Quercus suber) is
unique in that its thick bark can be stripped off every
decade to extract the cork without damaging the trees,
which can live 170 to 250 years on average.
Preserves local livelihoods

Without the demand for cork, economic pressures could force farmers to abandon
the active management of cork forests, which may lead to rural exodus as well as
unbalance the ecosystems that preserve the biodiversity of these regions.

The increase in the market share of alternative wine stoppers, specifically plastic
stoppers and screw-tops, could reduce the economic value of cork lands, therefore
leading to conversion to other uses, abandonment, degradation, and finally loss of
one of the best and most valuable examples of a human-nature balanced system.
Because the forests have an economic value to local communities, people care for
the forests.

Cork oak woodlands provide employment and guarantee the survival of local
communities. More than 100,000 people in the seven Mediterranean cork-
producing countries depend directly and indirectly on cork economies. Cork is a
vital source of regional rural employment.

Over 15 billion cork stoppers are produced every year and sold worldwide to the
wine industry. These stoppers are processed from bark harvested from cork oak
woodlands that have existed in the Western Mediterranean for thousands of years.
Cork for bottle stoppers accounts for almost 70% of the total value of the cork
market. The wine industry thus plays a vital role in maintaining the economic value
of cork and the cork oak forests.
Timeless partner to wine

Ever since the French monk Dom Perignon experimented with a
new stopper for his sparkling wine in the early 1600s, cork stoppers
have underpinned the global wine industry.
In the Wine Business Monthly 2009 Closure Report, wineries rated
closures by perceived consumer acceptance. Natural cork received
the highest marks. A more direct study of consumer perception was
conducted by the Oregon State University Food Innovation Center. It
found that consumers perceived wine finished with cork to have
higher quality and price than the same wine finished in alternative
closures.
In a study conducted by Tragon, consumers were asked to rate the
appropriateness of different closures for a variety of occasions
when consumers were asked the general question how likely would
you be to purchase wines with this closure? Natural cork was
selected by a 4:1 margin over alternatives.
DISADVANTAGE
There is however, one disadvantage of using cork in the wine industry. According to
wine expert Chris Kissack, (the Wine Doctor) cork is sometimes contaminated by a
mould which is present on the tree bark at harvest. The mould ( 2,4,6-tricloroanisol
(TCA) can lead to "corking, A "corked bottle of wine develops a taste, also described
as as a musty, damp cardboard, old sock aroma. "It renders the wine completely
undrinkable. Imagine the trauma of pouring away your wine, or even worse an old
wine that is irreplaceable -- an old Bordeaux or Burgundy which you have been
cellaring for several decades to be opened at a special moment.....and it is corked.
Terrible," said Kissack. For this reason some wineries now use plastic and metal
stoppers instead of cork. Plastic is also cheaper, its looks like cork and even pops like
cork. Their main disadvantage however, is that they are difficult to extract and once
extracted are almost impossible get back into the bottle. Screw caps made from
aluminium or tin, provide a tight seal and can keep out oxygen for long periods.
Practical yes, but unattractive and can litter the countryside. Take the risk and go back
to buying wine with cork stoppers. The pop of a cork is more than just a pop. It is
environmental and social protection. Alice Alech is a freelance writer based in France.

As a natural material, the cork oak bark is heterogenous what results in a great
variability in stoppers.
It is a scarce material and consequently of higher price.
Other risks we should mention are:
Leaking of some bottles if the closure is not perfect.

CONCLUSION
In comparison to the aluminium and plastic
closures, the cork stopper is the best alternative in
terms of:
Non-renewable energy consumption.
Emission of greenhouse effect gases.
Contribution to atmospheric acidification.
Contribution to the formation of photochemical
oxidants.

In comparison to the cork and plastic closures,
the aluminium closure is the best alternative in terms
of consumption of water, followed by cork stoppers
SOURCES
1. Source: WWF - Cork Screwed? Environmental and economic impacts of the cork stopper, pg. 2 | Download pdf
2. Source: Rainforest Alliance: Profiles in Sustainable Forestry, pg. 2 | Download pdf
3. Source: WWF - Cork Screwed? Environmental and economic impacts of the cork stopper, pg. 5 | Download pdf
Aenciclopedia Brittanica
E:\CORK\100percentcork_org.mht
Green Myth Buster #1: Cork is endangered
The end of cork?
Professionals