Mr. Troquato Goes To Portugal

If the adage “life is all about choices” is true, then George Troquato’s decision to use traditional cork stoppers is sound because finding tainted cork in Cinnabar wines is rare. However, the subject of choosing natural cork can have a much more casual side, as demonstrated by his recent trip to Portugal. Our supplier M.A. Silva Corks, USA took a handful of winemakers on a junket to see the Portuguese cork forests and processing facilities. A brief overview of cork growing precedes some tales of food and wine.

It’s all about the bark

The cork tree is a variety of oak that thrives along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of southwest Europe and northwest Africa, but primarily in Portugal and Spain.

Portugal harvests over half the world’s cork annually with the best forests situated in the central and southern regions where the rainfall and humidity are abundant, the winters are mild, and the soils are moist and deep. “It’s a very passive industry where the trees are allowed to harmonize with the environment,” said George. “I didn’t see any indication that the cork forests are pressuring the surrounding landscape.”

Cork is not removed until the trees reach 25 years, and growers must wait 9-11 years between harvests for the bark to achieve sufficient thickness (1–3 inches). For wine cork, however, the bark is not satisfactory until the third harvest, creating a 45-year wait for the first crop! Fortunately, cork trees often reach 150–200 years of age.

After harvest, the bark is air-dried on concrete slabs for six months. M.A. Silva Cortiças, Lda., the exclusive supplier of M.A. Silva Corks, USA, is on the cutting edge of the cork supply industry in terms of quality control. The company vacuum/high pressure boils its cork near the forests to extract any volatile compounds, then air dries another three weeks before further processing or export.

Sketches of Portuguese cuisine

“Our first dinner was at a Tìpico (traditional Portuguese) restaurant in Lisbon,” said George. “We drank Cartuxa Tinto,” said George, “an impressive red wine that had spicy aromatics, the rich mid-mouth of fine merlot, and the structure of cabernet.”

Their second dinner featured the Brazilian specialty Rodìzio, an assortment of meats cooked on a spit over an open flame. It was accompanied by the ubiquitous Portuguese side dish bacalhau (strips of salted cod mixed with seasoned starches). The wine, a Duas Quintas Tinto, was a medium bodied red.

Day four: After touring the M.A. Silva Cortiças, Lda. plant, the group dined on appetizers, a second course of shrimp and mushrooms, then a rice stew with sea bass. The meal featured wines made by group member Laura Zamora of Santo Tomas Winery, Baja California. “Her cab-merlot blend was quite good,” said George.

They had lunch overlooking the majestic Douro River valley on day five. Afterward, they enjoyed a Port tasting accompanied by Neuhaus chocolates from Belgium. The showstopper was a side-by-side comparison of 20-year-old and 40-year-old tawnys. “Both had classic tawny characteristics,” said George, “creamy, nutty, spicy mid-mouth and coffee, but the ‘40’ tasted less sweet and had a bit more mocha.”

Back in Lisbon, the winemakers enjoyed a seafood feast on their last night in Portugal: two types of snails, barnacles (who knew?), large crab claws, and fresh poached cod with some indigenous white varietals.

Traveling abroad usually entails plenty of new experiences and a few familiar ones. The hospitable Portugal people enjoy lots of seafood, but vegetables, especially fresh ones, are rare. The white wines are simple and a little sweet, but the reds and Ports are excellent. The climate is extremely mild, and there’s even a bridge to remind Northern Californians of their beloved Golden Gate Bridge.

 

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