Amorim Cork: The Natural Partner to Fine Wine and of Good Taste

Amorim, a family-owned Portuguese company since 1870, is synonymous with one of the wine world’s best-known and well-loved features, namely the cork stopper. When Star Wine List if the Year South Africa is celebrated on September 16, Amorim presents the category Best Medium-Sized List.

(Partner story with Amorim Cork)

Since its modest beginnings next to the Douro River in the region of Porto in north Portugal, Amorim has established itself as the world’s leading producers and supplier of cork stoppers, which are exported from Portugal to wine-producing nations around the world.

Despite being a dynamic global business operating in a rapidly evolving environment, the heart of Amorim’s business remains in the same place where the wine world’s infatuation with cork stoppers began over 400 years ago. And that is in the cork oak forests of Portugal and the rest of Europe’s Mediterranean basin. Here millions of cork oak trees grow in a natural environment with a unique ecosystem, just as they have done for thousands of years.

The magic of these magnificent trees lies in their barks. These are natural cork, and every nine years a tree has its barked stripped, this cloak of cork subjected to various processes culminating in the cylindrical cork stoppers wine-drinkers associate with the wonderful world of wine.

Despite its aesthetic appeal and its integral part of the wine experience, there are various reasons why cork is the natural partner to wine

Despite its aesthetic appeal and its integral part of the wine experience, there are various reasons why cork is the natural partner to wine. Most obvious is that it protects and seals the contents of the wine bottle, as it has done for hundreds of years.

But there is more to this: each cork hosts millions of tiny cells inside which oxygen is trapped. Once the cork is inserted into the full wine bottle, these cells will over time slowly release miniscule levels of oxygen into the bottle allowing the wine to evolve and age to the degree of complexity fine, classic wines are renowned for.

This is why all the world’s great wines are sealed with a cork stopper as the makers of these vinous treasures entrust the product of the cork oak to allow their wines to age to the state of magnificence consumers expect.

As a result of its relationship with wine, Amorim cork is a proud partner of the wine hospitality industry. Not only is that cork in the wine bottle the final link between the wine and the customer, but as partners to wine Amorim supports the presence of a strong wine culture within the hospitality environment. Therefor Amorim is a proud sponsor of the SA Sommeliers Association – few people have such a frequent level of contact with cork as the sommelier! – and the company supports the cultivation of a culture of ensuring comprehensive, representative and exciting wine lists.

Amorim also joins the wine and hospitality industries’ commitment to sustainability. Not only are used corks recycled, but due to its being a natural product from a unique natural environment, each wine cork results in the removal of over 300 grams of Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. This makes the choice of a cork closure not only the best one, but a natural one, too.