Cork Harvest

Every nine years, between May and August, the cork oaks of the Alentejo give up their bark. The work is done by hand, with an axe, by skilled teams whose craft has been passed down through generations. A careless cut can scar the tree for life; a good one leaves the trunk bare and unharmed, ready to grow new cork. The cork oak is never cut down. It gives its bark, and lives on.