🍷 Natural cork

A natural cork is a one-piece bottle stopper cut from the bark of the cork oak. The bark is stripped from the tree by hand, without felling it, once every nine to ten years. The tree then grows new bark. Cork oaks grow mainly in Portugal and Spain.

The bark is light, springy and almost impermeable to liquid. That is why the cork seals the bottle tightly while letting the wine breathe very slowly, which helps it develop over time. Whole corks are cut from the best pieces of bark, so they cost more. Corks made from leftover bark glued together are called agglomerated.

A natural cork has one weakness: sometimes it gives the wine an unpleasant smell known as cork taint. This is why producers look for alternatives. To keep the cork from drying out, bottles are stored on their sides in a cool, humid place. They are opened with a corkscrew. Natural cork remains the classic for wines meant to be kept for years.