CORK ROLLS

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Portugal accounts for two-thirds of cork and cork production. Para oak bears fruit after 30 years. How to turn raw wood into a champagne cork? What is the history of this unique tree? How durable is cork stopper compared to aluminum screw locks?

Can the cork be composted?
Cork is a natural material, so it is 100% biodegradable. However, the answer is more nuanced than this, because the already mentioned plugs made by gluing will unfortunately be difficult to break down. The plugs, which consist of one block, can be safely thrown into our home compost.

Cork production and cork making in Portugal and Spain employ 100,000 people. Manual work, which requires a lot of experience and expertise, provides well-paying jobs in a rural environment where there would be no other opportunity.

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What is cork, where does it come from?

Cork is the bark of the cork oak native to the Mediterranean region. It tolerates drought relatively well, likes heat, but is sensitive to frost, so it really only feels good in Mediterranean areas where there are no hard frosts.

Here, it produces as many "fruits" - bark - as can be harvested. It comes from the Mediterranean region - Portugal, Spain, southern France and parts of Italy, as well as North Africa, Algeria. In other countries, it occurs more as an ornamental plant, in Budapest, two specimens grow at the Vajdahunyad Castle, and they also appear in arboretums with a favorable climate.

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It cannot be called a huge tree, they grow to an average height of 10-12 meters, and even the oldest rarely rise above 20-25 meters.

The lifetime of an evergreen oak is about 200 years, during which time it grows a trunk with a diameter of 40-60 centimeters.

The special bark protects against the Mediterranean heat and dry winds. Since the tree does not necessarily need it, it can be "harvested". But why is cork so special? Cork consists of the dead cells of the bark of the cork oak. Most of the cell contents are made up of nitrogen, and the cell walls are made of a substance called suberin. Suberin is a type of natural insulating material with hydrophobic properties. This prevents fluid from entering the plug. It can also trap air.

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How long have we been using corks?

It was already known in ancient times, and even a container closed with a cork was found in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Due to its good insulating and water-repellent properties, it was used not only to seal containers, but also in shipbuilding. It disappeared from public consciousness in the Middle Ages.

The real breakthrough in the use of cork came in the 18th century with the discovery of Dom Perignon. The Franciscan monk of the French abbey - who is credited with making the first sparkling wine - observed that the cone-shaped stopper made of hardwood, which was used instead of the usual oil-soaked textile, did not protect the sparkling wine stored in the bottle well.

After trying many different types of wood, he replaced it with a plug made of cork. Later, in the 1750s, this technique was adopted by the great champagne and wine houses and spread worldwide.

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Fruit produced after 30 years

The key to getting rich fast is not cork production, as it can be harvested for the first time after 30 years. A thick layer of cork develops on the trunk and old branches, the outer part of which is cracked and unsuitable for making corks. This is called the male layer. The soft, ready-to-use (female) layer only thickens in 25–30 years, after which it can be harvested again every 9–10 years. During the 200-250 year life cycle, a good harvest can be harvested 12-15 times. The best quality can be obtained from oaks between 50 and 100 years old.