🐝 Cork oak

The cork oak is a Mediterranean tree whose thick bark is stripped every 9 years. Natural stoppers for wine bottles are made from it.

The tree grows in Portugal, Spain, North Africa, Italy and southern France. The bark is first stripped when the tree is about 25 years old and then roughly every nine years. It is stripped by hand with a special hatchet. This is done by cork harvesters, and their work needs experience and precision. The tree itself is not cut down: the bark grows back, and the tree lives for hundreds of years.

Cork oak bark is light, springy and almost impermeable to liquid. That is why it suits wine stoppers so well. A stopper keeps the bottle closed and lets the wine develop slowly. Cork forests are regarded as a valuable natural zone: rare animal species live in them. The tree is tied to wine directly, as much of the cork is used for wine stoppers. It is an example of a natural material serving people without harming the tree.