Portugal offers more than wine and salted cod. More specifically, Alentejo is where the majority of the world’s cork is harvested. Coruche marks the southern boundary of the Ribatejo region and the capital of central Alentejo, Évora.

The harvesting of the cork oak trees (Quercus Suber L) is steeped in tradition, through a process of harvesting bark. From May through mid-August, men use curved axes referred to as machadas to carve off the mid-trunk structures. The cork oak’s fragile bark peels off easily for skilled farmers during harvest season. Two men on ladders cut the bark, and two women stay grounded to collect the cuts and transport to the trucks.

Four years after planting, the tree is ready to be pruned, but natural cork stoppers cannot be made until the tree is at least 38 years old. The first extraction is considered “virgin oak” and utilized for shoes and flooring made from the cork’s unstable granules. The tree’s third harvest, “amadia,” allows prime cork stopper conditions (the first two harvests offer irregular structure and are used for flooring, shoes and decorative items), and takes place when the tree is over 40 years old.

Once harvested, the wait is nine years before another harvest may take place. Trees are marked in single numerals to indicate the year harvested, but it’s easy to figure out the trees recently harvested — the trunk is a beautiful deep copper color, and there is a distinct cut from where the trunk was cut. Legislation indicates how far up the tree can be cut: you can cut up to three times the perimeter of the tree, but its trunk must be at least 70 centimeters wide.

This location in Coruche appears to have stood still in time, and the streets are strewn with piles of harvested cork by land owners who plan to sell to the few large factories. Incorporating the idea of reconnecting with tradition is appealing as a destination, especially in a time when many wineries plan to switch from natural cork stoppers to synthetic or screw cap.

The reason I share my story is to recapture the romance of using cork stoppers by relaying tradition and education to consumers about natural cork. It's also interesting to note that using cork allows wine to continue processing, unlike aluminum and plastic stoppers.

A walk through a cork forest is awe-inspiring, and Alentejo is all about cork and its origin, traditional harvest, beauty of the forests and romance in going back to natural cork stoppers in wine.

Charlene Peters may be reached by email: siptripper@gmail.com