2009 Global Cork Harvest Yields Smaller but Higher Quality Crop

 BENICIA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
With a combined Portuguese and Spanish harvest of 220,000 metric tons, the
recently completed 2009 global cork harvest shrunk approximately 10 percent
behind 2008`s production, according to Jochen Michalski, president of Cork
Supply, a leading global supplier of premium natural cork wine stoppers.

"Despite the drop in the total harvest, the amount of cork graded as `premium`
was equivalent to the 2008 harvest," says Michalski. "Although we enjoyed an
even distribution of rain throughout the season, temperatures were high,
prompting growers to hold back some forests to allow their trees another year or
two of growth. This should result in a greater harvest of the high quality wood
required for wine corks in the coming years."

According to Frederico Mayer, director of Cork Supply`s raw material department,
the 2009 harvest has added significance for Cork Supply. "This harvest completes
the first nine-year cycle of our unique forest management system for sampling
and purchasing cork lots from carefully selected cork forests," he said. Mayer
added, "Since we created this innovative forestry quality assurance program in
2000, it has provided an invaluable cork forest database enabling us to better
predict the future and make purchasing decisions that yield the best quality and
quantity of punchable cork wood."

Cork forests provide sustainable habitat for wildlife biodiversity, reduce
carbon from the atmosphere, act as a barrier against desertification, and
sustain the livelihood and culture of indigenous communities. Recognized
worldwide by environmental and governmental organizations as playing a vital
social, economic and environmental role, cork forests are protected by the
Portuguese government, and their expansion is supported by World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) preservation programs.

"In addition to cork already being the wine closure with the lowest carbon
footprint - and the only one that`s 100 percent natural, renewable,
biodegradable and recyclable - more cork forest owners are undergoing Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certification," said Mayer. "As more and more wineries
improve the sustainability of their wine brands, the global demand for certified
cork is growing, and certified cork forests are increasing by 15 percent
annually."

With companies spanning the globe, Cork Supply Group specializes in the
production and distribution of premium quality winemaking and wine packaging
products. Among the forested products Cork Supply Group manufactures and/or
distributes are: natural, technical and champagne corks, French and American oak
barrels and alternatives, and award-winning designer wine labels. As one of the
first companies to be awarded FSC certification of their global cork production
facilities in Portugal, and a founding member of the WWF-GFTN (Global Forest
Trade Network) Iberia, Cork Supply is committed to sustainable forest
stewardship and responsible purchasing of forest products. For more information,
please visit www.corksupply.com.

Cork Supply Group
Ron Glotzer, 707-746-0353
Global Brand Marketing Director