Cork Is Bark, and the Tree Survives Harvesting
Cork is the light bark of an oak, used to stopper bottles. The tree is stripped and regrows for two centuries.
Cork is the light spongy bark of the cork oak, used chiefly to stopper bottles. Harvesting does not kill the tree: the outer bark is stripped by hand, and the trunk regrows it over about nine years. A cork oak is first stripped at around twenty-five years old and can be harvested for two centuries afterwards. The cells are sealed air pockets, which is why cork floats, insulates and springs back after being compressed into a bottleneck.
- Bark of the cork oak. *A cork stopper.*
- A bottle stopper. *Pull the cork.*
- Corkscrew — the tool. *A corkscrew.*
- Corked — spoiled wine. *The wine is corked.*
- Latin — *quercus*, an oak. *A likely root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cork | A cork. |
| Plural | corks | Corks. |
| Verb | cork | Corked. |
| Compound | corkscrew | A corkscrew. |
| Adjective | corked | Corked. |
- He pulled the cork carefully.Bottle.
- Cork oaks regrow their bark.Botany.
- The wine was corked.Fault.
Why cork works as a stopper
- Its cells are sealed air pockets, making it very light
- It compresses into the neck and springs back to seal
- It resists liquid without becoming waterlogged
- It insulates, which is why it is used for flooring too
- Corked wine is a separate fault, caused by a contaminated cork
Probably from Spanish *alcorque*, a cork shoe, of Arabic origin, ultimately from Latin *quercus*, an oak.
Does harvesting cork kill the tree?
No. The bark is stripped by hand and regrows over about nine years. A tree can be harvested for two centuries.
What does corked wine mean?
Wine spoiled by a contaminated cork, giving a musty taste. It is a fault in the stopper, not in the winemaking.