Ep 236: All About Cork with João Rui Ferreira of the Portuguese Cork Association

This week I am joined by João Rui Ferreira, the Chairman of APCOR, the Portuguese Cork Association. Established in 1956, the Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) exists to promote natural cork and its products. We discuss everything from the environmental impacts of cork to why it's such a great closure for wine. Cork is a vital part of the wine industry and this podcast is a great way to learn about it! João is a fascinating guy!    Here are the show notes. We discuss:  The tradition and history of cork and how/why it became the preferred closure for wine? How to make a wine cork and why corks are so unique What makes Portugal so ideal for cork production and some of the economic impacts of cork on Portugal The ecosystem for cork, called the montado, and why it is a model for sustainable forestry  The entire process of cork harvest to cork production!  Why cork is one of the most sustainable materials around The grades or quality of cork How cork benefits wine TCA/Cork taint and why rates have declined by more than 94% in the last several decades! Cork recycling  Recork in the US and Canada: https://recork.org Recorked UK: https://recorkeduk.org Not a formal program in Australia, New Zealand, or Brazil! See what you can do by contacting APCOR!    Check out their YouTube Channel for great info: https://www.youtube.com/user/Apcortica    _____________________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors this week: YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help!Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople     Vivino You can use the Vivino app to scan and keep track of wines  NOW -- Shop through their web store, which has great prices and a huge inventory! It can give you suggestions based on bottles you’ve liked in the past.  Use their premium service to get 30 days free shipping Visit www.Vivino.com/WineForNormalPeople to stock up      Last Bottle Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.     The Great Courses Plus  Who doesn't want to learn!? The Great Courses Plus makes you smarter and more well rounded. With thousands of outstanding video lectures that you can watch or listen to any time and anywhere, The Great Courses Plus is an easy way to stimulate your brain and make you smarter! Learn how to be the best griller in your neighborhood with How to Master Outdoor Cooking For a free trial, support the show and go to my special URL www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/wine            Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.