CORK CORK AND WINE PORTFOLIO SUSTAINABILITY MEDIA CENTER WHERE TO FIND US AMORIM UNIVERSE EN PT ES FR CORK MYTHS AND CURIOSITIES CORK MYTHS AND CURIOSITIES DID YOU KNOW THAT A SINGLE CORK STOPPER CAN SHOW A BALANCE OF UP TO 562G OF CO2? And that cork was used in Ancient Egypt and can be used to produce energy? Did you know that scientific research consistently proves that consumers associate cork with high-quality wines? Find out everything you’ve always wanted to know about cork. DISCOVER MORE ALL CORK CORK STOPPER CORK OAK CORK OAK FOREST INTERESTING FACTS CORK PERFORMANCE GENERAL CORK VS SYTHETIC CLOSURES CORK VS SCREWCAP CLOSURES What is cork? Cork is the bark of the Cork Oak tree (Quercus suber L). It is an all natural raw material, with unique properties which give it an unparalleled character. It is light, impermeable to liquids and gases, elastic, compressible, provides thermal and acoustic insulation, a fire retardant and highly abrasion-resistant. Furthermore, it is completely biodegradable, renewable and recyclable. Where does cork come from? What is the world's production of cork? Is cork an endangered natural resource? Why is the discovery of cells related to cork? Is the cork stopper the only closure with a positive environmental impact? How many cork stoppers can be produced with a tonne of cork? Can cork stoppers be recycled? Why recycle cork stoppers? Where can cork stoppers be recycled? What are the main characteristics of cork? What is cork made of? How many cells are there in a cork stopper? How many cork stoppers are produced annually? How long have cork stoppers been used for? What is stripping? How many times can a cork oak be stripped? When does the first stripping take place? Does the cork oak need to be cut down to harvest the cork? Is the cork used immediately after being stripped from the cork oak? How long does a cork oak live? Besides cork, what other parts of the cork oak are used and for which purpose? Which is the largest and oldest cork oak in the world? What is the world cork forest area? Besides cork, which other activities make cork oak forests viable? Why are cork oak forests natural fire-retardants? What is the cork oak? How do cork oaks grow? What are the ideal growing conditions for the cork oak? What was the significance of the cork oak in Ancient Greece? Why is cork stripping the highest paid agricultural work in the world? Does the quality of cork differ between countries? Why does cork in contact with wine bring health benefits? Can cork be used to produce energy? Why is the cork oak called Quercus suber L.? Why is cork a good closure for wines? Will cork be a closure of the past and at best it will have only a small proportion of the closure market, mainly restricted to premium wines? Even if companies like Amorim fix the problem of cork taint, there will still be bad cork on the market. Isn’t it too big a risk to take? Even if cork is no longer used for wine closures, can’t it still be used for other uses such as flooring and insulation? The cork suppliers ignored the problems for too long, because they had a monopoly and they still haven’t fixed the problems. Have things really changed? Isn't there a shortage of cork in the world? Can cork ever be price-competitive with synthetic and screwcap closures? Most wines are drunk within months of bottling, so isn’t the question of ageing and the contribution of the closure to wine development irrelevant? Wines do not need oxygen to age, as Ribéreau-Gayon has demonstrated, so are corks relevant to wine development? As knowledge of wine chemistry advances, will it be possible to determine the desired amount of post bottling oxygen ingress for any wine and choose a screwcap or technical cork of a particular permeability to suit? Synthetic closures are getting better all the time: isn’t it only a matter of time before existing problems are resolved? Are synthetic closures fine for wine that is to be drunk within a few months since the risk of oxidation is minimal? Can you be confident there will be no cork taint with synthetic closures? Do consumers care about what closure is used? Are synthetic closures also environmentally friendly because they are recyclable? Why should I pay more for a cork when a synthetic closure will do an adequate job (for commercial wines)? Scientific trials have shown that screwcaps outperform all other closures, including cork. Doesn’t that confirm they are the best closure? Are screwcaps as close to a perfect seal as it is possible to get? Are sulphide-like odours in wines under screwcaps not nearly as big a problem as TCA and random oxidation with cork? Does sulphide like odours also occur under cork? Once winemakers get used to using screwcaps on the bottling line, won’t existing problems disappear? Screwcaps are also known to be more vulnerable to damage from physical knocks during transport and storage, risking oxidation. Isn't it only a matter of time before winemakers understand the use of screwcaps and are able to adjust winemaking practices to accommodate this closure? Do wines age just as well under screwcaps as they do under good quality cork? Won't screwcaps get rid of the problem of random oxidation? Don’t screwcaps eliminate the risk of cork taint? Don't screwcaps avoid flavour scalping that occurs under cork and synthetic closures? Winemakers in Australia and New Zealand are switching to screwcap closures. Doesn’t that suggest a positive experience with using them? Isn’t it true that producers of icon wines such as Penfold Grange and even French premier cru wines Domaine des Baumard are doing trials of wines under screwcaps and some have already made the switch. When they change surely the market is lost to cork? Experience in Australia and New Zealand shows that consumers are prepared to accept screwcaps once they understand the benefits. Isn’t it only a matter of time before other markets accept them as well? There is strong demand from on premise customers (restaurants and bars) for screwcap closures because of their convenience. Surely this pressure is irresistible? Do consumers care about the romance and ritual of cork? Don't you avoid variability and the risk of random oxidation with synthetic closures? SHARE FOLLOW AMORIM CORK FOLLOW 100% CORK SITEMAP TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY CORK UPDATES I'd like to receive Amorim Cork newsletter I agree to the Privacy Policy of Amorim Cork, S.A., which I have read and understood. Copyright 2020 - 2021 © Amorim Cork. All rights reserved. Created by SOFTWAY.