Blog & News

18 Feb
 Natural, sustainable cork-tile flooring donated by Amorim Cork has been laid-out in two of the classrooms at the Sustainability Institute in Lynedoch, Stellenbosch. Founded in 1999, the Institute is an international living and learning centre teaching, exploring and applying ways of being that are restorative. Its focus on children is centred within the Lynedoch Children’s House, Lynedoch Primary Schools and Lynedoch Youth programmes.
21 Jan
The fashion of cork footwear has come a long way from the chunky platform cork soles worn by willowy women in the 1960s and 1970s. Thanks to designers such as Reefer, a young, dynamic and unique South African shoe brand, cork’s diverse ability to inspire footwear that is both functional and fashionable has seen this venerable Portuguese product putting its best foot forward.
27 Dec

The recent death of Allan Mullins leaves a hole in the wine world that is not going to be filled. For Amorim, Allan was an especial source of inspiration and endearing colleague due to his love for and knowledge of Cap Classique, a South African...

13 Oct
A testimonial from M. Jean Marie Aurand, the Chairman of the Académie Amorim and honorary Managing Director of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). I see the cork stopper as much more than a mere stopper. When it is pulled from the bottle, it releases the full aromas of the wine, to which it has also contributed. It is an indispensable pre-requisite for a good tasting experience. It has proved its worth over time and is an incomparable symbol of quality. Is there anything better than the cork stopper to add value to a bottle of wine? Is there anything that better conveys the profound emotion of a winetasting event?
14 Sep
Getting to see how cork has allowed great wine to develop and age is one of the most satisfying and rewarding moments for a leading closure partner to fine wine. These days one needs deep pockets or some very good friends to obtain old wines with which to experience this reward. Fortunately, our recorking programme has allowed my senses into the inner-circle of fine old wines and be hands-on when dealing with these vinous treasures.
07 Sep
The winners of this year’s Amorim Cap Classique Challenge are to be announced on 30 September. Well-known wine writer and educator Cathy Marston, who has been judging this competition since 2013, gives her impressions of this year’s entries as well as Cap Classique in general.
  • Having been exposed to Cap Classique for two decades, are we seeing (a) a level of improvement in general quality and (b) any excitement, innovation in styles.
Absolutely, we’re seeing more quality. I think our top MCC makers are up there with the best, partly helped by the fact that they are able to travel overseas and pick up new ideas and make new contacts around the world. There is still quite a lot of things we don’t 100% understand about MCC (look at all the trials Graham Beck and Colmant are doing) so it’s very important for bubbly winemakers to have an open mind and to have a good network of fellow bubbly winemakers so they can help each other out. In terms of styles, I think the rise of the extra brut style is good, but people need to learn to balance that with fruit and lees if it’s going to be successful.
29 Jun
Cap Classique producers have until 22 July to submit their wines for this year’s Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, which takes place in a milestone year for its sponsors, international cork company Amorim. Founded in 1870 on the banks of the Douro River at Vila Nova de Gaia, Amorim this year celebrates its 150th anniversary as a producer of cork stoppers, the natural product recognised as the essential partner to sparkling and other wines.
26 Jun
Perceptions on wine bottle closures and specifically the image of cork came to the fore in an insightful study on South African wine consumer preferences, one of the most comprehensive to date, which was published last year. The results of the research by Carla Weightman, Florian F. Bauer, Nic S. Terblanche, Dominique Valentin & Hélène H. Nieuwoudt were published in the Journal of Wine Research (2019). The study sought to ascertain whether the active endeavours of the South African wine industry to portray wine as an acceptable and appropriate choice to consumers from all the country’s population groups had been successful.