Суровина и промишлен процес От кората до бутилката

От гората до бутилката, коркът се впуска в едно увлекателно пътешествие, в което хармонията между човека, природата и технологиите се преплитат синергично. Обелването, извършвано от висококвалифицирани работници, които предават знанията си от поколение на поколение, е само първата стъпка в един необикновен процес, в който нищо не се губи.

Коркът се събира на всеки девет години, между месеците май и август, когато дървото е в най-активната фаза на растеж. Важно е да се подчертае, че по време на този процес не се секат дървета; коркът се извлича по устойчив и внимателен начин, без да се поврежда дървото. С милиметрова прецизност процедурата включва вертикален разрез, последван от хоризонтален разрез в ствола, което позволява корковата плоскост да бъде внимателно отстранена. Корковият дъб е единственият вид, чиято кора се възстановява естествено след всяко отстраняване като израства напълно и придобива по-гладка текстура.

За корковия дъб всеки край представлява ново начало, символизиращо цикъл на обновление и устойчивост.

Суровина и промишлен процес
Суровина и промишлен процес

„Тези могъщи и величествени Quercus Suber, които, освен че са толкова впечатляващи, тихо даряват най-висококачествените тапи, които съхраняват в идеални условия нашата грижовна работа като производители на вино“.

Маркиз Ламберто де Фрескобалди
200 години живот: издръжливостта на корковия дъб

200 години живот: издръжливостта на корковия дъб

Корковият дъб има средна продължителност на живота от 200 години. След период от 25 години дървото може да бъде обелено за първи път, въпреки че този първоначален корк, известен като „девствен“, не притежава желаното качество. Впоследствие е необходимо да се изчака още 9 години, за да се завърши цикълът. На ствола се нанася номер от 0 до 9, който показва годината, в която е събрана кората. Цикълът на кората е ритмичен и мистериозен. Едва след третото събиране – т.е. приблизително 43 години след засаждането на дървото – кората достига идеалните условия за производството на натурални коркови тапи.

От корковата плоскост до крайния продукт, коркът преминава през поредица от внимателно диференцирани етапи, в зависимост от типа тапа, за която е предназначен. Въпреки това, по отношение на превантивните и лечебни грижи, всички коркови плоскости получават една и съща щателна обработка.

Производството на корковата тапа е увлекателен процес, в който занаятчийското майсторство е толкова важно, колкото и най-модерната налична технология. Въпреки цялата еволюция в индустриалния процес, корковите тапи все още са резултат от забележителното сътрудничество между човека и машината, съюз, който продължава вече векове.

„Виното и коркът са продукти, които са се появили от природата и от историята на човечеството. Те са обединени от векове и са отнели много време, за да достигнат най-висшата си изява.“

Алфонсо Лараин Санта Мария, президент на Concha y Toro, Чили

Изкуството и науката на производството на коркови тапи

Stabilisation Cork planks arrive from the forest and are stacked outdoors for a minimum of six months, allowing them to stabilise and reach a uniform moisture content. Each batch is labelled to ensure full traceability back to the forest of origin, a key requirement for FSC® certification. The planks are stored on stainless steel structures, slightly inclined to maximise air circulation and minimise the risk of microbial contamination.
1.

Stabilisation

Cork planks arrive from the forest and are stacked outdoors for a minimum of six months, allowing them to stabilise and reach a uniform moisture content. Each batch is labelled to ensure full traceability back to the forest of origin, a key requirement for FSC® certification. The planks are stored on stainless steel structures, slightly inclined to maximise air circulation and minimise the risk of microbial contamination.

Boiling The planks are boiled for one hour in stainless steel tanks to remove impurities, improve flexibility and achieve the ideal moisture content for processing. Amorims exclusive CONVEX® boiling system also captures and removes volatile organic compounds from the water. After boiling, the planks expand by around 20%, making them more regular and easier to process.
2.

Boiling

The planks are boiled for one hour in stainless steel tanks to remove impurities, improve flexibility and achieve the ideal moisture content for processing. Amorim's exclusive CONVEX® boiling system also captures and removes volatile organic compounds from the water. After boiling, the planks expand by around 20%, making them more regular and easier to process.

Raw Material Selection The plank edges are trimmed and each plank is carefully graded according to appearance, thickness and porosity. Only the highest-quality cork is selected for natural cork stopper production, while lower-grade material is used to manufacture other cork products.
3.

Raw Material Selection

The plank edges are trimmed and each plank is carefully graded according to appearance, thickness and porosity. Only the highest-quality cork is selected for natural cork stopper production, while lower-grade material is used to manufacture other cork products.

Punching The selected planks are cut into strips, from which cylindrical cork stoppers are punched either manually or automatically. This is a highly precise operation that maximises the use of this natural material.
4.

Punching

The selected planks are cut into strips, from which cylindrical cork stoppers are punched either manually or automatically. This is a highly precise operation that maximises the use of this natural material.

Rectification The cork stoppers are polished to achieve precise dimensions and a smooth, uniform surface.
5.

Rectification

The cork stoppers are polished to achieve precise dimensions and a smooth, uniform surface.

Naturity® Naturity® is Amorim Corks most advanced treatment for natural cork stoppers. Developed in partnership with NOVA School of Science and Technology, it uses only pressure, temperature, purified water and time to remove TCA and other unwanted volatile compounds while preserving the corks natural structure and performance.
6.

Naturity®

Naturity® is Amorim Cork's most advanced treatment for natural cork stoppers. Developed in partnership with NOVA School of Science and Technology, it uses only pressure, temperature, purified water and time to remove TCA and other unwanted volatile compounds while preserving the cork's natural structure and performance.

SVE Every stopper undergoes Sealing Verification System (SVE) screening to ensure optimal sealing performance and controlled oxygen transfer, preserving the cork stopper’s excellent mechanical properties and making it ideal for premium wines with long ageing potential.
7.

SVE

Every stopper undergoes Sealing Verification System (SVE) screening to ensure optimal sealing performance and controlled oxygen transfer, preserving the cork stopper’s excellent mechanical properties and making it ideal for premium wines with long ageing potential.

Electronic Sorting Using artificial intelligence and deep learning, each stopper is visually analysed and automatically classified according to its appearance. Cork stoppers that do not meet the required quality standards are recycled into granules for technical cork stoppers.
8.

Electronic Sorting

Using artificial intelligence and deep learning, each stopper is visually analysed and automatically classified according to its appearance. Cork stoppers that do not meet the required quality standards are recycled into granules for technical cork stoppers.

NDtech® NDtech® is Amorim’s patented technology that individually screens every natural cork using gas chromatography, guaranteeing non-detectable TCA levels and ensuring maximum sensory neutrality and wine protection.
9.

NDtech®

NDtech® is Amorim’s patented technology that individually screens every natural cork using gas chromatography, guaranteeing non-detectable TCA levels and ensuring maximum sensory neutrality and wine protection.

Washing The cork stoppers undergo a washing process that cleans, disinfects and whitens the surface. This process has been continuously optimised through research partnerships to ensure the highest standards of quality, food safety and sustainability.
10.

Washing

The cork stoppers undergo a washing process that cleans, disinfects and whitens the surface. This process has been continuously optimised through research partnerships to ensure the highest standards of quality, food safety and sustainability.

Rayon X Each stopper is inspected using X-ray technology to detect internal defects, remove clay fragments that could compromise sealing performance, identify extreme density variations and minimise product mix-ups through integrated colour and size detection.
11.

Rayon X

Each stopper is inspected using X-ray technology to detect internal defects, remove clay fragments that could compromise sealing performance, identify extreme density variations and minimise product mix-ups through integrated colour and size detection.

Branding After meeting the customers specifications, the cork stoppers are branded using heat, ink or laser technologies with food-approved materials. They are then coated with paraffin or silicone to facilitate insertion into and extraction from the bottle.
12.

Branding

After meeting the customer's specifications, the cork stoppers are branded using heat, ink or laser technologies with food-approved materials. They are then coated with paraffin or silicone to facilitate insertion into and extraction from the bottle.

Packaging Finally, the cork stoppers are packed in sealed bags under controlled conditions, ready to protect and preserve some of the worlds finest wines.       *Releasable TCA content at or below the 0.5 ng/L quantification limit; analysis performed in accordance to an internal method based on ISO 20752.   The flowchart shown is for illustrative purposes only and represents a simplified example of the natural cork production process.
13.

Packaging

Finally, the cork stoppers are packed in sealed bags under controlled conditions, ready to protect and preserve some of the world's finest wines.

 

 

 

*Releasable TCA content at or below the 0.5 ng/L quantification limit; analysis performed in accordance to an internal method based on ISO 20752.

 

The flowchart shown is for illustrative purposes only and represents a simplified example of the natural cork production process.