cork tips
Cork is the name of the bark of the cork-oak tree,
an evergreen known botanically as Quercus suber L.
Cork-oaks grow in the western part of the Mediterranean basin:
Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.
Cork-oaks live an average of 150 years and can reach heigths of 30 to 100 ft.
Cork-oaks are first harvested when they are 20 years of age
and every 9 years thereafter.
Stripping does not dammage the trees and is strictly regulated.
properties
Lightness
cork floats
Impermeability
cork is waterproof
Elasticity
cork makes tight seals
Low conductivity
cork insulates
Frictional quality
cork is non-skid
Festivity
cork pops
Life expectancy of a wine bottle stopper is 30-35 years,
but greater when conditionned as in Dom's creations.
uses:
From fishing tackle to insulation on Nasa's space shuttle,
cork finds its place in all major industries:
automobile, construction, nuclear, petrochemical, textile, wine.
N.B.
Although the cork industry is a model of vertical integration
the majority of bottle stoppers end up in the trash.
(that's about 24.5 billion of them)
sources
| Cork
and the American Cork Industry Faubel, Arthur L., PhD 1941, Quinn & Boden Co, Inc., Rahway, NJ |
Champagne:
The wine, the land & the people Forbes, Patrick 1967, Reynal & Company, New York |
| The
Cork De Oliveira, Manuel Alves & Leonel March 1994, Tilgráfica, SA |
Entorno
al corcho y su artesania derivada Néstor Sanchiz 1997, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Girona, Spain |
Institut Català del Suro
Hortal d'en Pou, 60 Palafrugell, Girona, Spain