The tradition of cork: How did it start? Why use cork? Who is the first to use it? Why is cork stopper still used today when beverage stopper technology is so advanced? The oak was used as a cork when the wine was first born. The Greeks of the 5th century BC sometimes used oak to plug the wine jugs. Under their leadership, the Romans also began to use oak as a cork and also sealed with lacquer.
However, cork did not become mainstream in those days. At that time, the most common stoppers used as wine jugs and wine cans were made of lacquer or plaster, and olive oil was added to the surface of the wine to reduce the contact between the wine and oxygen. In the Middle Ages, the cork was obviously abandoned altogether. The paintings at that time described the use of twisted cloth or leather to stuff the wine jug or bottle, sometimes with wax to ensure a tight seal.
It was not until the middle of the 17th century that the cork was really associated with the wine bottle. At the time, as another option, frosted glass stoppers appeared from time to time to suit different bottlenecks, which used them for a long time. Until 1825, these glass stoppers were still the choice of corks. Finally, these glass stoppers were finally discarded, because if they were to be removed, there was almost no other way than to smash the bottles. Before the cork was widely used as a practical cap, there was a doubt that it was to find a tool that could easily penetrate the oak and remove the cork. The first mention of a similar bottle opener was in 1681, which was described as "a steel worm used to pry cork out of a bottle." This hand tool was used 50 years ago to remove bullets and wadding from the gun. It was originally called a bottle drill and was not officially called a bottle opener until 1720.
Source of cork
“Quercus Cork” is a botanical name for a slow-growing, year-round evergreen oak that grows only in certain western Mediterranean regions. This tree requires a lot of sunlight and requires a perfect combination of low rainfall and slightly high humidity. Its bark quality and thickness vary according to the specific environmental conditions of the growing place.
Because of the soft protective layer of bark and especially the insulation of fire, oak can continue to grow. Many trees die because they lose their bark, because the bark can transport the necessary energy, the sap, to the whole tree. This soft oak has two layers of bark. The inner bark is alive and it is the basis for the growth of new bark every year. When the old bark grows outward and dies, the new bark takes on the responsibility of continuing to grow. The dead bark can be peeled off so that it won't hurt the trees, but be careful not to penetrate the viable inner bark.
The tree is harvested for the first time until the age of the tree reaches 25 years. The oak harvested this time is very irregular in size and density, so it is not suitable for use as a wine stopper and is usually used for flooring or good insulation. After 9 years, the tree can be harvested again, but the oak harvested this time is still not good enough to be used as a cork. Until the third harvest - at this time the age of the tree has reached 52 years. At this time, the size and density of the trees make it a suitable wine stopper material. An oak can usually have 13-18 useful harvests in a lifetime.
The soft oak can be peeled off by hand with a sharp axe, which is then stacked for weathering. Those trees that have been stripped of bark will be carefully marked with numbers and numbers so that future harvesters can know which tree can be harvested again.
Once processed at a factory in Portugal, the oaks are stacked again for air drying for up to 3 months. Proper humidity is critical to the elasticity and compressibility of oak. After air drying, these cork will be soaked in boiling water for 90 minutes, one for disinfection and the other to flatten the shape of the bend. Cork is then placed for 3 to 4 weeks to achieve the desired humidity. These materials are then placed neatly in a strip, and then a cork is placed on the bottle according to its size and shape. In this process of punching, the puncher is required to concentrate on the highest quality product. After that, polish the head and body of the cork so that all corks have the same length and diameter. It should be noted that the thickness of the bark determines the diameter of the cork, not the length of the bark, so the annual rings of the tree are longitudinally implanted into the cork. The cork is then cleaned and blown dry, and most of it is bleached with chlorine or hydrogen peroxide, which not only disinfects, but also removes the remaining impurities. There are also some that do not require bleaching, depending on the needs of the winery. The cork will be graded by quality and will be given the name of the winery. Finally, the surface of the cork is sprayed or coated with silicone, paraffin or resin, which is easy to insert into the bottle mouth and also improves the sealing of the glass bottle. Then, it can be shipped in a plastic bag.
