Corked Wine: History Of The Cork
Corks are a crucial part of every wine-lovers life! The satisfying 'pop' when you open a vintage is a sound like no other!
There is nothing more satisfying than the sound of popping open a bottle. Corks maintain the quality of a wine, even over a period of many years. What’s more, cork is immune to the detrimental effects of liquid and gases. Corked Wine is irreplaceable!
It’s a perfect way to seal up a bottle of wine to ensure it lasts. Today, corked wine is taken for granted as something that has always been. Corks for wine bottles were not used until the 18th century. In fact, corked wine could not become what we know and love today until glassblowers could shape the finish of the bottle narrowly enough for to be airtight.
Mankind has been using corks since the days of ancient Egypt. Remnants of cork stoppers found in Egyptian tombs highlight just how far into the past cork usage goes, and it’s usefulness. That usefulness spanned centuries. Cork history includes use as buoys for ancient Mediterranean fishing nets and boats. Ancient Greeks used cork in their sandals because it acts as a natural shock absorber. The Romans had plenty of uses for cork as well, including construction material, beehives, and floatation devices.
The usage of corks in wine did not become common practice until the late 1600s. Prior to that, winemakers used glass as a sealer. Corked wine came into being when it became possible to create glass bottles of unvarying design. Furthermore, glassblowing became more refined as the finish of the bottles could be made narrow enough. This allowed an airtight finish, allowing wine to age, and quality to not only remain but improve. Consumers also preferred cork stoppers because glass stoppers were difficult to remove, often resulting in a broken bottle. Even more desirable was the fact that cork stoppers slowed the oxidation of wine. As a result, the corked wine aged better than wine that had a glass or cloth stopper.
Cork actually comes from the bark of a type of oak tree known as Quercus suber. The trees are not properly viable for cork production until they are between 15 to 25 years of age. Once grown, the bark is stripped from the trees. This harvesting process does not injure the trees. The bark regrows and continues its growth after harvest. It can take a period of a decade before a cork tree is ready for another harvest. Consequently, cork harvesting is a precarious and organized process. Trees are carefully marked and accounted for. Each tree an investment for the future of the companies and farmers that tend to them.
Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, and North Africa hold the majority of the world’s cork tree (Quercus Suber) forests. The forests cover an incredible 5.4 million acres. Fifty-six percent of that land resides in both Spain and Portugal.
Check out the amazing and interesting history of wine!
The boiling disinfects, cleans, and softens the cork, furthering its refining process in becoming a stopper for a wine bottle.
Corks are a crucial part of every wine-lovers life! The satisfying 'pop' when you open a vintage is a sound like no other!
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First off, goose pairs beautifully with medium-bodied red wines. For a Thanksgiving wine that will complement goose, Pinot Noir is a great option. Yabby Lake’s Single Vineyard 2013 is both ideal and delicious. Rich bursts of summer fruits such as berries, cherries, and other deep red fruits bring a strong, amazing flavor. With a light caramel finish, this is truly one of the best red wines for a juicy Thanksgiving goose.
Another one of the best wines to highlight a goose dinner is the Marchesi di Barolo Tradizione Barolos 2011. To start, it is rich garnet in color with hints of ruby. It truly a striking wine. The wine boasts crisp scents of sweet spices and wood. Amazing flavors of vanilla, licorice, and hazelnut create a beautiful, well-bodied and balanced pairing. With hints of citrus and a smooth, fine finish; this is one of the best red wine options for pairing with goose.
Duck is a beautiful flavorful bird, dark and meaty with amazing fat content. When it comes to complementing duck, there are many options. Being that duck is rich and complex finding the perfect red wine is actually easy. The first, aptly named Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot, is simply gorgeous.
Layered with both soft and intense flavors, the balance and mouthfeel of this Californian wine are gorgeous. Initially, intense flavors of the ripest cherries hit the tongue. The deep cherry turns to hints of black raspberry, spiced plum, and other beautiful fruits. Straight from Napa Valley, California, this Merlot features a sturdy body that ages well for unforgettable results.
If Merlot does not spark your interests, another great Thanksgiving wine for duck is the Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2016. Directly from Burgundy, France, the reddish purple Beaujolais is exquisitely balanced. Bright flavors of lovely licorice, fresh red fruits, and a slight spice, it plays well with seasoned duck. Including a beautiful acidity and juicy tannins that smoothly grace the tongue, this vintage is great for fatty wine. It makes for an excellent complement to both the duck and meaty appetizers.
When looking for the best Thanksgiving wine for your friends and family, worry no more! These wonderful vintages or similarly flavored wines of the same varieties with do the job perfectly! Follow flavor profiles and guest preferences to bring your Thanksgiving experience over the top! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from our family at SecondBottle, to yours!