There will likely always be debates between the use of cork versus screw cap, glass and other enclosures. This time we take an in depth look at cork as Patrick Spencer, Executive Director of the Natural Cork Council is our guest this week. Cork is simply amazing and even better it is good for the earth and good for wine. There is nothing like the sound of cracking a bottle with a cork.

The team was in for a real surprise when they carried out a so-called pyrotechnic test, which simulates a battery fire. The cork-insulated enclosure withstood battery fire conditions exceeding more than 2,372 degrees Fahrenheit (1,300 degrees Celsius).

During the same simulations, the Bio!Lib case maintained structural integrity and kept the temperature on the opposite side of the fire about 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) cooler than Tesla’s aluminum enclosure.

Is cork helping to decarbonise the wine industry? Corticeira Amorim, the world leader in cork stoppers, explains how innovation and nature combine to deliver stoppers with a negative carbon footprint.

Portuguese winemakers are increasingly turning to local oak for aging their wines, marking a shift from the traditional reliance on French and American oak barrels. This trend reflects a growing focus on terroir and authenticity in Portuguese wine production. Historically, Portuguese oak was mainly used for aging Port and other fortified wines. Now, more table wine producers are experimenting with this native wood.

The montado habitat, where the cork oak grows, is home to a wealth of natural biodiversity, including wildlife, grasslands and diverse flora. It has wide variety of species of animals and plants that form part of the food chain centred around the cork oak. The Natura 2000 Network considers the cork oak montados and woods to be important for the preservation of the biodiversity. The montado is still one of the 36 hotspots of the biodiversity, on a par with Amazon, or Borneo.

We discuss the environmental benefits of cork, including its role in CO2 absorption and forest conservation. Patrick dispels common myths about cork, such as the misconception that cork trees are cut down during harvesting. Instead, cork is harvested by hand in a sustainable manner that allows the tree to continue growing and absorbing CO2.