Despite all the long-hours, sweat and hard-work, there is something magical about the harvest season. For us in the cork industry, it lies in the satisfaction of seeing the just-cut bark from the cork oaks arriving at our plants in southern Portugal to be processed. It smells of earth and fresh wood, a truly natural product from wild forests, each tree stripped of its bark every nine years.
With the current global demand for cork stoppers surpassing 12bn units annually and the wine market’s upward growing curve, the world’s leading cork-company Amorim is going back to basics to ensure sufficient supply of quality product for the years ahead. And by going back to basics we are talking about the source of cork, namely the quercus suber, also known as the cork oak tree. Speaking to the popular Grandes Escolhas Magazine, Antonio Amorim, president of Amorim Cork told of the company’s plans to ensure unhindered supply of product from a new generation of cork forests.
Top Image Caption:
JP Colmant (Best Blanc de Blancs Trophy), Kobus van der Merwe, KWV Laborie (Gold Medal Blanc de Blancs), Christine Rudman, Frans Malan Trophy winner, Etienne Louw, Pierre Simond Wines (Gold Medal Blanc de Blancs), Shane Mullis, Domaine des Dieux (Best Brut Trophy and Best Overall Producer), Charl Schoeman, Simonsig (Best Rosé Trophy), Hannes Nel, Lourensford (Gold Medal Brut), Pierre de Klerk, Graham Beck Wines (Gold Medal Blanc de Blancs) Xander Grier, Villiera (Gold Medal Brut) and Elunda Basson, Pongracz (Museum Class Trophy. In front: Sharon Parnell (Domaine des Dieux)
With exhibition space for South Africa’s triennial wine trade showcase completely sold out, CapeWine 2018 is set to yet again raise the bar as South African wine producers ready themselves for the international trade and media gaze when Wines of South Africa (WoSA) welcomes them from 12 – 14 September. And once again, Amorim will be present at this illustrious event as one of the sponsors.
A seemingly insatiable thirst for Cap Classique sparkling wines among South African consumers and growing confidence in their category by producers are seen as reasons behind the growth in entries to this year’s Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, the leading competition rewarding the country’s bottle-fermented sparkling wines.
From left: Joaquim Sa, Cathy Marston, Heidi Duminy, Pierre de Klerk, Elunda Basson, Farai Magwada and Higgo Jacobs.
Some 127 entries were received for this year’s Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, now in its 17th year, the most the competition has seen to date. Judging took place at Nederburg in Paarl this week, with the results to be announced on 27 September.
