Posted on 27-112-2002

Cork Please

Photo shows famous cork tree named for the songbirds in its canopy, the 212
year old Whistler Tree is the most productive cork oak on record. It stands
in the Alentejo region of Portugal. (Photo courtesy Cork Quality Council)

LISBON, Portugal, December 24, 2002 (ENS) - You might not give a second
thought to what kind of stopper you pull out of a bottle of wine, but
sustainable development advocates wish that you would. Conservation groups
like the WWF are concerned that the wine industry is moving away from
natural cork, a shift that they believe could ultimately cause an
environmental and economic crisis in several parts of the Mediterranean
region.

The Mediterranean produces some 99 percent of the world's cork, which is
harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner. The cork bark is
stripped off the mature trees, which can live for some 200 years. With
careful management each tree can be harvested throughout its lifetime, and
the cork oak forests provide important habitat for an array of wildlife.
But within the past decade the wine industry has slowly begun to embrace
plastic stoppers and screw caps. The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR)
estimates some seven to eight percent of the wine market now uses plastic
stoppers or screw caps instead of traditional natural cork closures.

Some winemakers believe these synthetic stoppers protect the wine from
becoming "corked," a term used to describe wine that has been spoiled from
contamination. Although wine can be spoiled by things other than a tainted
cork, the primary concern comes from 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA), which is
a compound nurtured by cork that can spoil the wine's flavor. Industry
estimates on wines noticeably tainted with TCA range as high as four
percent to less than one percent. The cork industry, through various trade
groups, is seeking to eliminate TCA through improved testing and monitoring
of cork supplies.

Although sustainable development advocates fear the rise in synthetic
stoppers, few in the wine industry seem concerned. According to Cork Supply
USA, the largest provider of natural cork stoppers in the United States,
improved cork harvesting techniques and a rising demand for wine throughout
the world has the cork industry in fine shape. "Now more than ever, the
future for natural cork is bright," said Cork USA president Jochen
Michalski. "There will be enough cork to ensure buyers of a reliable and
stable market, and with the large investments that some of the top wine
cork producers in Portugal have made to improve quality in recent years,
taint level in processed wine corks is approaching zero." Portuguese cork
oak forests have been increasing at a rate of three percent annually for
the past 20 years, Michalski added.

The concern from groups like the WWF comes from the potential impact of a
weakening market for natural cork on the cork oak forests. It is the
economic value of these forests that has ensured their survival, argues
Clara Landeiro, the Portuguese coordinator for WWF's Green Belt Against
Desertification project. The cork industry also indirectly supports local
agriculture as villagers graze cattle, sheep and goats in the forests, and
also collect fruits and honey that are used in local produce.

The loss of the cork oak forests would shatter this economy and could
easily lead to desertification, Landeiro says, as the cork trees are
replaced by other forms of agriculture that are less sustainable and often
non-indigenous. Cork oak forests are also less susceptible to wildfires,
which destroy some 600,000 to 800,000 hectares of Mediterranean forests
each year.

Two wildlife species, the Iberian lynx and the Iberian imperial eagle, are
both seriously endangered, but can survive within cork oak forests. If the
forests suffer, the outlook for these native animals will also worsen. WWF
estimates the Iberian lynx population has decreased some 90 percent in the
past 15 years and population estimates range from 1,000 to only 150. It is
the most threatened carnivore in Europe.

Wine stoppers account for only 15 percent of the cork production by weight,
but bring in some 80 percent of the harvest by value. Cork is also used for
insulation materials, tiles and other industrial applications. It also has
more creative uses - last summer two Americans built a 27 foot ship out of
165,321 corks. They successfully sailed the cork boat on the Douro River in
Portugal.

For more information on cork oak forests, see: www.corkqc.com