It's always surprising to learn how some of the most unexpected things are inerconnected. Who would suspect that whether or not a wine bottle uses a cork stopper or a synthetic stopper (or screw top) would relate to the diversity of birds in Portugal?
The latest issue of the Audobon Society magazine explains that cork oak trees in Portugal are essential for the habitat of a diverse population of birds as well as other wildlife and environmental concerns. There is an interesting discussion of how cork is harvested. Cork (the thick bark on cork oak trees) cannot be harvested until the tree is over 25 years old, and only once every 10 years thereafter on average. Some of these trees are hundreds of years old. However, if the economics of the cork market are disturbed, there are other crops that will replace these trees -- and developers are showing increased interest in the land.
Over 80% of the cork is processed into wine stoppers. Only about 16% of the cork, of lesser quality, is used for bulleting boards, flooring, etc. However, many wineries are switching to synthetic stoppers or screw tops. If too many bottlers change, the market for cork will collapse, and the habitat be lost.
Wineries have switched to synthetic for two reasons. The simplest reason is that synthetic stoppers are cheaper -- about $.08 instead of $.30 on average. The other reason is because of "cork taint", a bacteria that was growing on cork stoppers that could affect the taste of the wine. However, that has been almost totally controlled with new procedures in cork stopper production, and is no worse than synthetic.
Because of the foil over the stopper, it may be necessary to scratch the top on unfamiliar bottles to see whether it's cork or synthetic before making a purchase.
All of that boils down to music for my ears -- one more reason to drink lots of wine! By doing so, I'll be helping to preserve the little birdies in Portugal. It's not often that I can help the environment and have so much fun doing it!
The latest issue of the Audobon Society magazine explains that cork oak trees in Portugal are essential for the habitat of a diverse population of birds as well as other wildlife and environmental concerns. There is an interesting discussion of how cork is harvested. Cork (the thick bark on cork oak trees) cannot be harvested until the tree is over 25 years old, and only once every 10 years thereafter on average. Some of these trees are hundreds of years old. However, if the economics of the cork market are disturbed, there are other crops that will replace these trees -- and developers are showing increased interest in the land.
Over 80% of the cork is processed into wine stoppers. Only about 16% of the cork, of lesser quality, is used for bulleting boards, flooring, etc. However, many wineries are switching to synthetic stoppers or screw tops. If too many bottlers change, the market for cork will collapse, and the habitat be lost.
Wineries have switched to synthetic for two reasons. The simplest reason is that synthetic stoppers are cheaper -- about $.08 instead of $.30 on average. The other reason is because of "cork taint", a bacteria that was growing on cork stoppers that could affect the taste of the wine. However, that has been almost totally controlled with new procedures in cork stopper production, and is no worse than synthetic.
Because of the foil over the stopper, it may be necessary to scratch the top on unfamiliar bottles to see whether it's cork or synthetic before making a purchase.
All of that boils down to music for my ears -- one more reason to drink lots of wine! By doing so, I'll be helping to preserve the little birdies in Portugal. It's not often that I can help the environment and have so much fun doing it!