Best of Portugal

Portuguese cork

Portugal has attained fame worldwide from its wines and vineyards and another premier product that greatly contributes to Portugal’s soaring economy is the cork which is obtained from the cork oak tree grown extensively in Portugal. In fact an estimated area of about 720 hectares of land in Portugal is dedicated to cork oak cultivation and the cork is the bark of the cork oak tree. While it is true that the prevalent climatic conditions have immensely contributed to the cultivation of this tree since ancient times, the versatility of cork as a material has led to Portugal becoming the foremost country in the world accounting to about 50% of the world’s total cork production. The cork oak tree can survive for over 150 years and the cork obtained needs to be harvested for about 10 to 12 years and once extracted, a new layer grows on the tree. Therefore not only is cork natural product and requires no chemical or artificial processing during harvesting, it is also a renewable resource.

Moreover cork is light, compressible and is totally resistant to liquids and gases. It is an excellent thermal and acoustic insulator and at the same time it is fire-resistant and abrasion-proof. All these properties of the cork is attained due to the presence of a substance called suberin in the cork. The most important function of the cork is as cork stoppers for wine bottles and the properties of cork enable in preserving the wines. It is also used in buildings for tiles, in artistic purposes, in military and automobile industries and in the manufacture of fishing rods and floats. Corks are also preferred they are ecological and environment friendly components and they do not harm nature and are also recyclable substances. Therefore, they are cultivated extensively and Portugal earns immense profit from the production of cork.