Mutineer Issue No. 13
Subscribe
Locations of Mutineer Magazine

Mutineer Magazine is available at the above locations

The Whistler Tree

Alan Kropf / Mon, Sep 1

Whistler Tree

This is the Whistler Tree, the largest and oldest cork oak tree still commercially producing wine bottle corks. Now, before you write this blog off because trees are dumb and boring, consider this: In the harvest before last, this one tree yielded enough cork to make over 100,000 wine corks! Yes, this tree is the real deal.

The Whistler Tree lives in Portugal, a leader in cork production that is currently responsible for 50% of worldwide cork production. It is named after the small metropolis of birds residing in it. The tree was planted in 1789 and is still churning out cork today.

You’ll notice in the picture that the trunk of the tree is a different color than the upper section of the tree. This is because this picture was taken soon after a harvest, and harvesters can only legally harvest so high up the tree.

Cork is a completely sustainable product, and a tree will grow new cork bark to harvest every ten years. The bark is removed in large sheets, and is about 2 inches thick.

Wine bottle corks are now facing strong competition from synthetic corks and screw caps, and only time will tell which form of stopper emerges victorious.

Related Posts

  1. Possibly Screwed: The Wine Guerilla, 100% Cork Want to Win Over Your Wine
    Everyone has days where they should put a cork in it. Other times, most of us shrug away our first impressions, instincts or judgments and...
  2. AIG CEO Splits Time Between Saving Economy and Making Wine
    Robert Benmosche is aspiring to be a wine revolutionary as he tries to build a reputation for Croatian wines with his new winery. This would...
  3. Putting The Class Into Screwing
    Whether it be environmental or economical, more and more high-class wines these days are coming in screw top bottles. Unfortunately, there is nothing magical or...
  4. California Introduces “Anti-Caffeinated Malt Beverages” Bill
    Recently, there has been much concern in the California craft beer industry that a new state Assembly Bill will prohibit brewers from using coffee in...
  5. The French Have USB Coffee Warmers
    It’s a USB powered coffee warmer…GENIUS. This picture was taken in the most futuristic shop in Bordeaux. I don’t speak, or read, French, so all...
tags:

Comments

  1. Jeff | Tuesday, September 2, 2008

    Cork, FTW!

Leave a Comment

Connect with Facebook

(hidden)


Request for photo removal.

Sponsors
EnjoyBordeaux
Left Coast Libations
Bluecoat
Combier

Stay Connected with Mutineer

Mutineer Magazine Issue 13
ACR

The Great Web Mutiny

  • 1 Wine Dude
  • 1000 Corks
  • A Muddled Thought
  • A Tattooed Tale
  • AbsintheHour
  • Alt+Wine
  • Another Wine Blog
  • Appellation Beer
  • Arête Wines
  • Bacchus and Beery
  • Banned In Bama
  • Beer, Beats & Bites
  • BeerSmith
  • Belgian Beer and Travel
  • Between The Vines
  • Bevlog
  • Blog About Beer
  • Brunellos Have More Fun
  • Burnt Lumpia
  • Cheap Wine Ratings
  • Chicago Pinot
  • Chronic Negress
  • Cocktail Enthusiast
  • Cocktail Virgin
  • Dark Rum Blog
  • Digital City
  • Dr. Wort's Buzz-erk Beer Blog
  • Drink Eat Love
  • Drink Hacker
  • Drink Me Mag
  • Drink With The Wench
  • DrinkPlanner
  • Drinks Are On Me
  • El Bloggo Torcido
  • Em a la Mode
  • Fermented Thoughts
  • Food Truck Times
  • Gonzo Gastronomy
  • Good Grape
  • Good Spirits News
  • Got Tannins?
  • Grape Smart
  • Hop Talk
  • In With Bacchus
  • Joe The Winemaker
  • Kaiser Penguin
  • Kasper on Tap
  • KegWorks
  • Le Mixeur
  • Le Wine Chick
  • Lenndevours
  • Liquor Snob
  • Liqurious
  • Lyke 2 Drink
  • Martini Groove
  • Millennier: Wine + Millennials
  • New Wine Consumer
  • Notaviva Vineyards Blog
  • Oh Group
  • Old Time Cider
  • Pinot Blogger
  • PJ Hoberman on Hoppress
  • Rantings of A DC Gourmand
  • redwinebuzz.com
  • Reign of Terroir
  • Sacre Bleu
  • Simple Hedonisms
  • Starting a Brewery
  • Stirred, Not Shaken
  • The Art of Beer
  • The Bastard's Booze Blog
  • The Beer Commune
  • The Beer Snob
  • The Brix Chicks
  • The Broke Wino
  • The Endive Chronicles
  • The Journey of Jordan Winery
  • The Spirit World
  • The Vinters Voice
  • The Wine Cellar Insider
  • The Winery Web Site Report
  • Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine
  • Tom Wark's Fermentation
  • Vice Post
  • Vinikitas
  • Vinology
  • Well Fed Network
  • Why Wine Blog
  • Wilma's Wine World
  • Wine Brands
  • Wine Diver Girl
  • Wine Enabler Blog
  • Wine Tripping
  • WineFoot
  • Wired Gin
  • Wormwood Society
  • WTN Services
  • Zette
  • Copyright Wine Mutineer, LLC © 2010
    Home | Subscribe | Advertise | Privacy | Contact