From Forest to Cutting: The Beginning of Cork’s Journey
Its story begins long before it reaches a wine bottle — in cork oak forests where nature and traditional knowledge come together in a fascinating process. The journey starts with the cork oak, a unique tree whose bark regenerates over time. Every nine years, in the height of summer, the bark is carefully harvested by hand in a process known as “cork stripping.” Using specialised axes, this delicate yet highly skilled technique removes the bark without harming the tree — the trunk remains intact and continues to grow and produce more cork.
Once extracted, the cork is left to rest outdoors for several months to stabilise naturally. Then comes the boiling stage: the cork planks are submerged in hot water to increase flexibility and remove impurities. Only after this process are they selected and prepared for cork production — and here, precision is key.
A single cork stopper — something we often discard in seconds — can take over nine years to be made.
Types of Cork Stoppers: A Solution for Every Wine
There are different types of cork stoppers, each suited to various types of wine and intended ageing time. The most prestigious is the natural cork stopper, made from a single piece of cork, ideal for fine wines that age for many years.
There are also technical corks, which combine agglomerated cork with natural cork discs on each end — perfect for mid-range wines.
Agglomerated corks are more affordable and used for wines meant to be consumed quickly.
And then there are colmaté corks, which are natural corks with small pores filled using cork dust, offering a more uniform appearance.
Not all corks are created equal — each one is designed to respect the time, taste, and character of the wine it seals.
Before reaching the bottle, every cork undergoes strict quality control: elasticity testing, sealing performance, aroma analysis, and TCA detection — the compound responsible for the dreaded “cork taint.”
But cork is more than a technical component. It’s also about emotion. The sound it makes when pulled from the bottle, the ritual of tasting, the connection to a living material that has protected the wine for years — all of this makes cork an essential part of the wine experience.
Portugal — with its vast cork oak forests and deep-rooted tradition — is the world’s largest producer of cork stoppers. Every year, we export millions of corks across the globe, and our expertise continues to be a benchmark in the industry.
Choosing a cork stopper is not just a practical decision — it’s a gesture of respect for nature, for Portuguese culture, and for the craft of winemaking.
A small detail, with a powerful impact.
