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Iy: !oboccn onh

AII nnfurnI corks nnd cork roducfs bogIn In fho forosf, n cork forosf so fo sonk. Corks
nro mndo from fho bnrk of Cork Onk Troos fhnf orIgInnfo In fho ModIforrnnonn. MnjorIfy of
Cork Onks nro grown nnd hnrvosfod In fho SnIn nnd IorfugnI.
Tho Cork Onk grows In forosfs fhnf oxorIoncod hnrsh condIfIons such ns droughfs, fIros,
nnd fomornfuro fIucfunfIons nnd ns n rosuIf If hns ovoIvod mnny rofocfIvo qunIIfIos. Tho oufor
bnrk of fho Cork Onk Is wnfor, fIro, formIfo rosIsfnnf, ImormonbIo fo IIquIds or gns nnd n gronf
InsuInfIng mnforInI nIIowIng fho froo fo wIfhsfnnd fomornfuro fIucfunfIons. AII of fhoso unIquo
roorfIos nro whnf mnko corks fho orfocf sfoor for wIno.
Cork froos musf bo 25 yonrs oId boforo fho bnrk cnn bo hnrvosfod, mnkIng goIng Info fho
cork busInoss n vory Iong-term investment. After 25 years the trees bark can be stripped every
9 fo l4 yonrs. A vory cnrofuI rocoss Is fnkon fo romovo onIy oufor bnrk fhus InforIor bnrk Is nof
dnmngod. Tho oufor bnrk wIII grow bnck If fho InforIor bnrk Is Ioff undnmngod, mnkIng cork n
confInuous, ronownbIo rosourco.
Onco fho oufor bnrk Is romovod from fho froo fho cork Is sforod boforo rocossIng. Tho
roor wny fo sforo fho cork bnrk Is on concrofo or comonf rnfhor fhnn onrfh bocnuso If mny In-
cronso fho confnmInnfIon rIsks.
Tho fIrsf sfo In rocossIng fho cork Is boIIIng If, whIch soffons nnd cIonns If. Tho wnfor
fhnf fho cork Is boIIod In Is consfnnfIy fIIforod nnd roIonIshod fo romovo nny confnmInnnfs.
IoIIIng Ionvos bnrk Innks fhnf nro fInffor nnd onsIor fo work wIfh.
Tho cork Is fhon cuf Info smnIIor, moro worknbIo Iocos. Somo of fho Iocos wIII bo usod fo
unch nnfurnI corks ouf of whIIo ofhor wIII bo usod fo mnko fochnIcnI corks such ns nggIomornfo
corks, nnd ofhor cork roducfs. HIgh-ond wIno corks wIII bo hnnd unchod, ofhors nro mosfIy
nro mnchIno unchod nnd sorfod.
Thoro nro sovornI fyos of corks fhnf cnn bo mndo from cork froos. nfurnI corks nro
unchod ouf of fho bosf Iocos of bnrk. nfurnI cork sfoors nro fho hIghosf qunIIfy nnd Im-
orfnnf for ngIng wIno boyond fIvo yonrs. AggIomornfo corks nro ossonfInIIy fho nrfIcIobonrd of
cork mnkIng; Ioffovor, unusnbIo scrns nro gIuod fogofhor, roundod nnd cuf Info corks. AggIom-
!"# $ &'(# ) *+),-! ./ # 00,! 1 "(2! 13
ornfo corks nro offon usod for chonor wInos nnd shouId nof bo usod fo sonI wIno boyond n yonr.
Tho cork fhnf Is bofwoon hIgh-ond nnd condIfIonnI wIno Is fho fochnIcnI cork. TochnIcnI corks
nro mndo wIfh nn nggIomornfo cork confor nnd n nnfurnI cork dIsc fhnf Is gIuod fo fho fo nnd
fho boffom. Iofh fochnIcnI corks nnd nggIomornfo corks nro usofuI In corkIng nn unconvonfIon-
nI sIzod boffIo.
WIno boffIos fodny nro nIso IncronsIngIy boIng sfood wIfh synfhofIc corks mndo of Ins-
fIc nnd mofnI scrow fos. A smnII orconfngo of wInos cnn bo confnmInnfod by bnd corks,
known as cork taint, as a result, a niche market developed synthetic corks and twist top wine
sfoors.
SynfhofIc corks cuf fho rIsk of confnmInnfIon ouf, buf nro mndo from nonronownbIo Ins-
tic. Although they can be recycled the plastic isnt reused but made into a new product in a cy-
cIo fhnf ovonfunIIy furns fo wnsfo. Scrow fos nIso oIImInnfo confnmInnfIon, buf cnn confrIbufo
fo wnsfo If nof rocycIod. If rocycIod fhoy nro n moro onvIronmonfnIIy frIondIy ofIon fhnn syn-
fhofIc corks bocnuso mofnI Is n moro rousnbIo rocycInbIo fhnn InsfIc. nfurnI corks nro sus-
fnInnbIy hnrvosfod ronownbIo, bIodogrndnbIo nnd rocycInbIo. nfurnI corks nro fho frIondIIosf
ofIon osocInIIy If rousod, rocycIod or comosfod.
In my oInIon fho bosf nrf nbouf nnfurnI corks Is fho shoor numbor of crnff rojocfs.
Abouf n yonr ngo, I cnmo ncross n do-If-yoursoIf cork bnfh mnf fhnf roquIros nonrIy 200 corks; I
robnbIy hnvo nbouf ?0 so fnr. SfIII hnvo n Iof boffIos fo o I guoss!

5 IY CO!K C!AITS
1. Make your own bulletin board
2. Cork wreath (paint the corks to make them more festive!)
3. Cork Letters
4. Cork planters
5. Cork Trivets

Oh and apparently someone made a chair out of corks !
Works CIfod:
hff://www.wInonnornk.com/corks/howcorkIsmndo.hfm
hff://homo.howsfuffworks.com/quosfIon550.hfm
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