Not Your Average Wine Stopper

Portugal, home to the beautiful Cascais beaches, Lisbon monuments and cork?

That’s right cork. You know that annoying piece of wood that comes between of you and your glass of wine. Well what if I told you that within the country of Portugal, cork has a much more significance than keeping your wine bottle from spilling.

Praça Europa, located in the country’s capital, Lisbon is a long stretch of side walk that is Lisbon’s central public square, known for its outdoor shopping, eating and drinking. Outlining the edge of the Lisbon harbor, locals from all over the city come to sell their goods to the thousands of tourists that surround the area. One stand, however, attracts more attention than any other.

Atelier Da Cortiça, a family run booth, sits in the middle of a clothing shop and a sangria stand. Atelier D Cortiça sells a unique product that is unlikely to be found within the borders of the United States. Captivated tourist surround the booth searching through wallets, hand bags and shoes that are all made from… cork? That’s right. From bright vibrant wallets to beautifully patterned hats, cork has been transformed into trendy material that can withstand generations.

“Cork is our lively hood, it’s how we strive in Portugal” 57 year old, Tânia Martins said, holding true to the importance of cork in her city. Martins displayed her most prized products up high. Hanging

inside and outside the stand are purses and backpacks that have colorful patterns that almost make you forget that they are made from cork.

“I’m not sure where we’d be without the cork” Martins said, “it’s our country’s tree.” Commercial cork is the main reason why Portugal’s current economy is in a steady place. There was recently a law put into place in Portugal that regulates the amount of cork that could be cut down and used for commercial production yearly.

J.L. Calheiros in his online article, The Cork Industry in Portugal, explains that Portugal is known for producing about half the world’s output of commercial cork or about 70% of the world’s trade in cork.

Cork is the symbol of Portugal and is the one thing that makes the country stand out from the rest.

Lisbon, Portugal borders the edge of the Atlantic. With this humid climate and dry summers, it is the perfect home to the Cork Oak trees, allowing them to strive within the forests of Portugal.

But how did the use of cork for commercial produces come about?

“There was a fall out with the use of Cork for wine” Martins said, “Everyone started switching to plastic bottles and there was no more need for cork wine stoppers.”

She continues by saying that the people of Portugal began losing jobs and money because of this change between glass to plastic screw off tops for wine bottles. For some people, cork was all they knew and all they had to rely on.

Without there being such a large demand for cork there began to be a surplus of it. Cork began overflowing the country. The people of Portugal were forced to become more creative in the ways in which cork could be used.

“Cork is extremely durable” Martins said, “making it extremely useful for anything you need.” Portuguese citizens then began commercializing it. Other than using the cork for things such as wine stoppers or flooring, they began making purses, hats, shoes, even jewelry.

“I love it!” a shopper said outside the booth, “I come to Portugal every year and always get something new.”