Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 71 time jobs to do this. It is one of the best paid agricultural jobs in the world. Our cork forests [in Portugal] are one of the 36 hots spots of biodiversity in the world, along - side Bormeo, Costa Rica and the Amazon. Consider the ability of the cork tree species to regulate water cycles, prevent erosion and safeguard aquifers by regulating them with the root systems of the trees, This is the template of what we need going for - ward, not utopia. That doesn't exist." \In 2016, seven out of ten wines were sold with a cork closure. A cork renaissance is taking place worldwide, as consumption grows especially in the U.S., the largest mar - ket by value and volume. De Jesus highlights three pillars of the return to cork: Massive investments in technology cou - pled with cork's incredible structure—800 million cells, each with its own elastic memory. We grab something nature gives us and wrap it around technology. Look at pharmaceuticals, defense. Fall in love with cork, but then put the science behind it. Value added—we all need to emphasize the value-added aspect of natural cork. Packaging in wine matters. Sustainability matters. Stripping the bark off of a 40-year-old tree is not utopian, but it is part of the sustainable ecosystem (see Montado sidebar) and provides benefits to our people and planet that matter. For 65 million years, people weren't harvesting cork trees, but today we have here in the western Mediterranean a social/economic/ environmental story going. Without bark- harvesting we would have 2.2 million acres planted to other crops, likely ones that are not carbon-zero. As Baugher concludes: "For us, it's always been traditional winemaking. Why not use something organic and natural to touch the wine in the bottle? It's a greater synergy, and allows the wine to evolve naturally and correctly." Consumers Prefer Cork The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) and the Cork Quality Council, along with Wine Opinions, a U.S. wine market research company, conducted a study of 1549 consumers. Findings revealed that natural cork is the closure of choice for wine purchased at a restaurant (91%), wine purchased as a gift (93%), and wine purchased to bring to a dinner party (86%). The Montado courtesy of Cork Information Bureau "Montado" is the Portuguese term used to describe landscapes of a delicately bal- anced ecosystem centered around extensive oak woodlands, interspersed with areas of shrubs, grassland and cultivated fields. It is an integrated mix of agriculture, forestry and pastureland, developed over millennia to secure greatest abundance from often harsh and inhospitable conditions, ensuring the land's productivity for future generations. The average density of the montado is approximately 80 trees per hectare, although it can be 120 trees or more. Up to five per cent of the total area may be used for growing cereals such as wheat, barley and oats, and 40 per cent may be used as pastures. The main species that dominate the montados are of the genus Quercus, with large areas of holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia), small areas of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and the majority of cork oaks (Quercus suber L). Quercus suber L is a medium-sized evergreen oak with thick corky bark that is periodically stripped to yield commercial cork. Cork harvesters working in the Portuguese montado. Stripping the bark off of a 40-year-old tree is part of the sustainable ecosystem. PHOTO COURTESY OF APCOR