Kemey and I started our cork-ucational tour of Portugal with a trip to an ancient forest to see it being harvested in essentially the same way it has been for centuries.
Just across the Tagus River about 30k south of Lisbon is Herdade de Rio Frio, a centuries old 4,000 hectare “homestead” with strong traditions in horse breeding, equestrianism, and polo as well as viniculture and winemaking. Within the Herdade is what was once the world’s longest vineyard – with rather delectable quaffs still being bottled from the grapes of remaining vines today. This vast expanse of land is also home to a cork forest.
Image courtesy of Amorim
Lucky us, Kemey and I were at Rio Frio at the start of the cork-harvesting season (mid June). Cork trees are oak trees – but a special kind of oak (Quercus Suber L.) that grows around the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, if you ever find yourself stuck for ideas about where to head for your next holiday, consult a map of the cork-growing region. You’re promised an ideal climate in a forested setting, and probably amazing food, culture and traditions as well (just be sure to avoid any geopolitical hotspots).
Cork forests (of which Portugal boasts about half left in all the world and regenerating at a rate of about 4% a year) hold back desertification while providing sustainably sourced and widely applicable raw material for a variety of products.
An average cork tree lives between 250 and 350 years. The cork itself is the outer bark of the tree. A tree is a quarter century old before the bark can be harvested. During a harvest, this bark is taken off the tree, leaving it intact and healthy, and able to yield multiple harvests. It takes nine years for the bark to grow back. A second harvest takes place when the tree is 35 years old, and a third when it is 43 years old. It is this third harvest – when the tree is nearly a half-century-old – that sees the sort of mature cork that can be used as stoppers for wine and other beverage bottles.
How cork is harvested is done today pretty much as it has been since Roman times. A couple of dudes, with a hatchet each and a ladder to share, take a tree and ‘shave’ it of its bark. Aside from a tractor pulling a flatbed to load up the bark, there was nothing we saw at Rio Frio other than hard working people using skill and brawl to do an honest day’s work.
An efficient worker can earn up to €125 per day. In Portugal, the average monthly income is around €500 to €600. So €125 a day is good money. In fact, it’s one of the best paid agriculture jobs in the world. Of course, it should be noted that the job is seasonal – and one heck of a workout.
Stay tuned as I share more about our visit to one of my favourite destinations– and its most fascinating product – in a brief series of posts about cork production in Portugal.
