What is a Wine Cork

Acork is known primarily for its use as bottle stoppers. Have you ever wondered where it comes from or how it was made? Unbelievably, there is really a cork tree, and it is known simply as the Cork Oak Tree. Amazingly, it takes about 25 years to make a cork fit snuggly in your bottle.

Harvesting Natural Wine Cork

Cork is harvested from the Cork Oak Tree, which is found primarily in Portugal and Spain. This is where around 80% of the world´s raw cork is produced. Cork is harvested in a way that promotes healthy growth to the tree over its approximately 200-year lifetime.

After about 25 years of the tree´s life, cork used for wine can be harvested. It is after this period, the tree is considered mature and the cork is cut in the form of strips. These strips are then carefully removed and dried for 6 months or so, after which they are boiled for a few hours and then left to dry for around 3 weeks. Subsequently, they are cut and/or molded into the correct cork size.

Next, the washing process occurs where a variety of chemicals are used to sanitize the corks against bacterial growth. Some manufacturers are utilizing new technologies such as irradiation as a weapon against the potential bacteria growth, which results in cork taint. Corks are then sealed in bags containing inert preservation gases before being shipped to wineries.

Three Sizes of Natural Cork

1. The standard single piece cork is approximately 24mm in diameter. This is about 6mm wider than the internal diameter of the neck of the average wine bottle. This difference is what makes for a tight fit, preventing the cork from drying out.
2. The agglomerate cork is made from tiny pieces of chopped cork, bound together by glue. The motive behind this is financial, whereby the process allows for otherwise wasted pieces of oak bark to be made into something saleable.
3. The Champagne cork is a little different and slightly larger, 31mm across. It is made from three pieces of cork sandwiched together. The mushroom shaped head protrudes from the top of the bottle, allowing the wine drinker to get a good grip on it when easing it out.

Natural Cork Benefits

Natural cork has a long proven history, with some neat upsides:

1. Can be easily used to re-seal the wine.
2. Provides an early warning of a wine´s quality once extracted.
3. Viewed as traditional, providing romance and sophistication.
4. Adds authenticity to a wine (with name/logo or vintage printed).

Natural Cork Concerns

There are two main concerns about the use of natural cork:

1. First, fungal contamination of the cork can result in corked wine, spoiling it.
2. Secondly, the agglomerate manufacturing process of cork combining increases the risk of fungal contamination and floating cork pieces.

Many winemakers are opting for alternative methods of closure to cork wine, including the use of a synthetic screw on cap.

Contributor: Jim Stein (Syracuse, NY)

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