Not sure what the policy is on posting stuff like this, but I found it really interesting. Obviously the impact is not just to the cork used with wine bottles.

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[news.yahoo.com]

The article refers to two things that I find interesting:

1) The use of lower-grade cork that is produced with "filler", and
2) The use of high-grade cork for the best wines

I wrote on another thread that currently available cork, especially in pre-build grips, reminds me of the current state of lubmer - the stuff you see stocked in the yards as "top quality" (whether they call it AAA, AA' or A grade, or some other slick marketing term) wouldn't even have been used for scrap a few years ago, while the price has just about doubled. This stuff (the wood) is now full of knots, twisted grain, comes pre-warped, and usually still wet. It doesn't matter if it's finish lumber, studs, or cabinet-quality.

Similarly, the quality of most of the corks we have available to us today, whether rings or pre-build, has deteriorated remarkably. On the other thread Tom asked if anyone had ever seen a "flor" cork. I think I have (I'm a lot older than I look), but it was so long ago that it begs the point about current availability. Maybe that's the stuff they are now reserving for "best" wines. The cork used on most production rods, even the high-dollar stuff from the "name" makers, is full of filler - trust me, we've repaired enough of these rods to be able to say that based on experience. The only exception might be the custo rods, especially fly rods such as bamboo, where cost is not an issue.

Andy Dear supplied us with various corks at the last two shows. His "best" corks were indeed very good. Were they "flor"-grade? To be honest, I don't know. Wish I still had some of the old rings to compare with.

This article is more marketing than anything else - using the "scare" tactic of saying that if the wine industry doesn't use more cork, the cork industry will be hurt. No, folks, I don't think so - the price of even the worst-grade cork will just continue to rise to ridiculous levels, as they produce less of it, or produce it for different uses.

As for the animals that live in the cork forests, well, that's a nice environmental touch to an otherwise demand-driven issue, and of course, anything to do with natural products today will take that slant because it's the politically correct thing to do. How else to raise awareness amongst the drinkers of the "best" wines, so that they can do their bit for "green" by demanding "real" cork in their bottles and thereby "save" the cork forests? Reality is that there's at least one species of something obliterated in the burning of the rain forests throught out the world, every day.

Yes, I did a rant. Sorry for that, but I think the answer for us (custom rod builders) is to find a reliable source of the best cork currently available, pay the price, and stock the stuff. What your customer will see, when he comes to your shop, is cork of a quality he'll never see anywhere else. And wait till he puts the grips in his hand! And save some for yourself, tool

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

BURL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Mike,
Burl is fine but I can tell the difference in weight between the two. I buy and in the process of buying Andy's Exotic Burl in rings and in the stripes but its nice to hold a good cork handel.