The 235-year old Whistler Cork Oak from Alentejo, Portugal was named the European Tree of the Year 2018, after gathering 26,606 votes of the 200,000 votes cast for thirteen candidate trees from countries representing every corner of Europe. The Whistler Cork Oak is named after the sound of the countless birds that perch in its branches. The bark of the …

(From Deborah Parker Wong in the Somm Journal) When it comes to wine storage, old habits are hard to break. But Dr. Paulo Lopes, Research and Development Manager at Amorim Cork, advises that if temperature and humidity are maintained at the correct levels, wine can be stored upright with no ill effects. In fact, sparkling wine should always be stored …

Rombauer Vineyards describes their wines as “Quintessential American” creating a benchmark California Chardonnay, while the flavor of their Cabernet and other reds are distinctly from Napa Valley. Rombauer Vineyards believes natural cork plays an important role in preserving the notable tastes of the region, giving their wines a unique sense of place. #WeChooseCork

Dry Creek Vineyard is known for producing classically rich and full-flavored wines, while remaining elegant and well-balanced. They believe “Natural cork shepherds the wine through the aging process.” “We feel the combination of a high-quality wine and a top-quality cork is inextricable, you can’t really separate one from the other.”

It’s important for Coppola Winery to produce unique age-worthy and fruit-forward wines, while remaining true to the varietal. Winemaker, Corey Beck notes that “corks help me sleep better at night! It allows the wine to continue to evolve…” Watch as Corey Beck continues to muse over the capabilities of natural cork, including how it helped preserve the flavor of a …

St Francis Winery puts tremendous emphasis on their wines being reflective of what Sonoma County’s diverse terroir has to offer! When looking at the natural oxygen exchange during the aging process, they believe their wine is best expressed with a natural cork closure.

British Mathematician reveals the formula for the perfect pop when opening a bottle of bubbly (and it’s all about the temperature…) Dr Eugenia Cheng’s experiment characterised the perfect pop as in the frequency range of 8,000Hz to 12,000Hz This sound is the most appealing to the human ear, with those frequencies comparable to the ring of cymbals To achieve the …

Maggie Kruse of Jordan Winery, speaks about the importance of sustainability in winemaking, and how cork is the last thing that the wine touches: “Sustainability is incredibly important to Jordan. We do a lot on the estate here to be completely sustainable, so it’s important that everything that we work with and that goes into our wine puts as much …

Even many sophisticated wine drinkers when tasting a wine that doesn’t seem quite right will automatically say it’s ‘corked’. But just as the ability to distinguish varietals or terroir is essential to becoming an educated wine drinker, so is the ability to distinguish off aromas and tastes. With this educational goal in mind, noted enologist Dr. Paulo Lopes recently conducted …

Eric Baugher, one of America’s most acclaimed winemakers, speaks about one of America’s most acclaimed wines, Ridge Montebello: “The oldest wine I’ve tasted is a 1964 Ridge Montebello. I remember pulling that cork out. It came out in a full piece, and it just suddenly, it was like opening a perfume bottle; the essence of the Montebello vineyard came out …