Will wine corks survive climate change?

Original text via EuroNews.

For 400 years, cork has been the go-to material for sealing wine bottles. It’s elastic and tight, yet allows a miniscule amount of oxygen through, helping to age the wine perfectly. Moreover, it is an entirely renewable and natural product.

Cork comes from the bark of a cork oak tree and today’s production is a happy marriage between tradition and technology.

The traditional method of removing bark without harming the tree is combined with modern industrial techniques that greatly reduce the risk of the cork spoiling the wine.

But the ecosystem that allows cork trees to flourish is under threat. Rising temperatures in the Mediterranean region mean cork oaks are falling victim to drought, disease and forest fires.

In this 360 report, created through a collaboration from the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and the Lookout Station (an initiative of the European Forest Institute), join us to see how wine corks are made and why scientists are worried about the future.