History of Cork Usage


Natural cork has been associated with the storage of valuable foods and beverages for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans referenced cork as a preferred material for stoppers used with wine and olive oil.

The most significant development occurred in the 1600s, when Dom Pérignon, developed his methode champenoise. The wooden stoppers used to store still wines had considerable disadvantages when applied to sparkling wine. Dom Pérignon successfully adopted cork stoppers and cork soon became essential for wine bottling.

Over the next two centuries the spread of mass-produced glass bottles and standardized neck dimensions greatly advanced the use of cork, not just for wine, but a wide range of liquids and foodstuffs.