Cork - A Stopper For A Wine Bottle And Much More
By Gerald Crawford

The cork oak, Quercus suber, grows in the sunny south of Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Portugal accounts for more than 50% of the world's total cork production. It is the climate and soil types of this region that keep the trees growing. Although cork trees are also grown in some Asian countries, only cork harvested from the Mediterranean region is considered commercial quality.

Cork material is a subset of generic cork tissue, harvested for commercial use primarily from the Cork Oak tree, Quercus suber, with Portugal producing 50% of cork worldwide. Cork consists mostly of suberin.

Cork's elasticity combined with its near-impermeability makes it suitable as a material for bottle stoppers, especially for wine bottles. Cork stoppers represent about 60% of all cork based production.

Cork's low density makes it a suitable material for fishing floats and buoys, as well as handles for fishing rods.

Cork is also used in the manufacture of musical instruments, particularly woodwind instruments, where it is used to fasten together different segments of the instrument and make the seams airtight.

Sheets of cork, often the by-product of more lucrative stopper production, are used to make floor tiles and bulletin boards.

The cork industry is generally regarded as environmentally friendly.

The sustainability of its production and the easy recycling of cork products and by-products are two of its most distinctive aspects.

Cork demand has increased due to a larger proportion of wine being sealed with cork rather than being sold in bulk. Since a tree's bark can only be harvested once a decade or so, supply is highly inelastic. Top quality corks are quite expensive, so many cheaper brands have switched to lower quality cork, synthetic plastic stoppers, screwcaps, or other closures. Because synthetic stoppers do not dry out and shrink, wine bottles with synthetic corks do not have to be stored on their sides to prevent the wine from oxidizing.

Cork contamination with harmless but foul-smelling trichloroanisole is one of the primary causes of cork taint in wine.

Cork has been used in rocket technology due to its fire resistance. Cork can also be used as bricks for the outer wall of a house.

Gerald Crawford was born in South Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and african travel concepts. He taught responsible tourism in South Africa. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me on.

E-mail Address: southafricantravelarticles@12234455.co.za

Website Address: http://www.12234455.co.za

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