Some people make their fortunes by e-commerce, some people use Wanda to join the rich list, and some people speculate in real estate, but have you ever seen the richest man by peeling bark?
In Portugal, peeling a cork oak is a century-old craft, and the peeled bark can be made into wine cork stoppers, and the top cork can be sold for 35 yuan a piece.
The Portuguese Amorim family became the richest man in the country by relying on this income, and its main business is to make various cork products from peeled bark, of which cork stoppers on wine bottles account for most of the revenue.
Unlike other trees, the rubber bark has two layers of outer bark. After growing to a certain age, the dead bark will form a coat, at which point it can be peeled off to make a cork.
After the cork oak is peeled, it not only does not die, but also increases its lifespan, just like the exfoliation of the face, and the skin will become more delicate after removal. The oldest known local cork oak tree has been skinned dozens of times and has survived for more than two hundred years.
However, peeling is a technical task, and the workers need to use an axe to cut, and the two cooperate to complete it. In the early years, they also tried to use machines to do the work, but the trunks of cork oak trees are always strangely shaped, and the peeling of the machine will destroy its integrity, resulting in waste.
According to local regulations, each cork oak tree must be more than 15 years old before it can be harvested, and after the first harvest, it takes nine years to proceed to the next harvest. In general, the bark peeled off during the third harvest is the best material for making cork stoppers.
There is some moisture left inside the newly peeled bark, which is easy to deform, so it is necessary to wait in the factory for half a year, and then dry and squeeze the shape.
Later, it is steamed at a high temperature to soften the bark, then cut into strips of a specific size, using a stamping machine and a mold to make a cork.
The remaining scraps can also be recycled, crushed into granules, and sent to make composite stoppers.
After the cork is made, the workers will screen and classify them again, and according to the difference in quality, they will be placed at different levels and can be sold for different prices.
Top-of-the-line corks like this one must be opened with a special corkscrew and are more expensive to make and are mostly used for precious wines.
In addition, it also has the characteristics of good sealing, which can reduce the oxidation rate and maintain the normal breathing of wine, known as the "guardian spirit of wine".
In contrast, the composite plug is much more common, it is composed of cork particles and adhesives, processed and molded at high temperatures and high pressures, the cost is lower, and can only be used for wines that are aged for no more than one year.
What stoppers do you use for the wines you drink regularly?