Cork

08h30
Pickup Point
10h00
Cork-Oak Tree Plantation
13h00
Lunch
15h00
Cork Factory
17h00
Return

Cork-oak trees and cork in Portugal

Cork, one of the most typical materials of Portugal, is the name given to the thick and light bark of cork-oak trees and it’s largely known for being the preferred material for wine and champagne corks.

Cork-oaks are typical mediterranean trees, known for their permanent foliage, hard wood and, of course, for giving us cork, one of the most versatile raw materials of the present day.

We know that cork was used, at least, during Antiquity, when it was largely used by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. These civilizations used it for fishing materials, shoes and insoles and as an insulator material as well, to seal amphorae and coat their home’s walls.

Today, cork is still one of the most wanted raw materials of several industries, from fashion to aerospace engineering, due to its ecological, sustainability and thermo-acoustic properties. However, it’s in wine corks production that it has its highlight. Recently, it was discovered that its contact with wine can create antioxidant compounds that have properties which help to fight several diseases such as cardiac and degenerative diseases.

Portugal is one of the biggest cork producers and exporters of the world, keeping around 60% of all the world exports. Cork-oak tree is Portugal’s national tree since 2011 and, due to its economical and environmental importance it’s a protected species and it’s cut it’s forbidden. Cork-oak landscape is one of the most beautiful and typical of Portugal, specifically in the center and south of the country.

TOUR

During this tour we’d like to take you to a typical landscape of the south of Portugal, with a visit to a cork-oak tree plantation, where we’ll get to know more about these trees that are so important to Portugal. We carry on our journey through our traditions with a delicious slow cooked lunch and we end it with a visit to a cork factory.

Visit to a cork-oak tree plantation
In this plantation we can feel the ancestral connection between this tree and men. We’ll learn about the cork-oak life cycle, its plantation, maintenance and the delicate process of cork extraction.

Lunch
We’d be pleased to offer you a different and traditional gastronomic experience, with a slow cooked lunch that will amaze your senses and where scents melt in a dance of flavours.

Visita a uma fábrica de cortiça
We end our journey with a visit to a cork factory, where we’ll be able to observe the treatments given to the raw material and its later transformation into finished products, destined to other industries or to the final consumer.