The Very Green Cork 一枚细软护佳酿——木瓶塞的“前世”
英式发音 适合背诵
葡萄酒瓶用软木塞的原因是因为它弹力和复原性出色,被压缩至瓶内后能完全密封。已经装瓶的葡萄酒能否长时间保存收藏,关键在于瓶塞。能长久保存的顶级葡萄酒一般都选用软木塞,因为软木塞的微透氧功能让酒液有了呼吸的机会。你可知道,这毫不起眼的软木塞来自栓皮槠,但它可不是随处可长的一般树木,更不是自己可以生长的“独行侠”。看看栓皮槠的生长环境,你会惊讶于木瓶塞的来之不易。
The Alentejo region of southern Portugal stretches from Lisbon in the west to the hills of the Spanish border in the east. It’s about 10,000 square miles and is the world’s most important cork growing area. These woodlands of evergreen cork oaks and their close relative the holm oak are known in Portugal as Montado. Although the Montado is so good for wildlife, it’s by no means a wilderness, but rather a natural ecosystem of woodland and 1)pasture which has been 2)sympathetically adapted for farming in this sustainable way for more than a thousand years.
葡萄牙南部的阿连特茹地区,西接里斯本,东临西班牙边境山丘,占地约一万平方英里,是全球最重要的栓皮槠生长地。这片种满常绿栓皮槠和与之同属的近亲圣栎的林地,在葡萄牙叫Montado。虽然这里有非常适合野生动植物生长的良好环境,但此地绝非荒野。此处林地与牧场相结合的自然生态系统以可持续再生产的方式辟为农地,两者和谐地相依相伴一千多年。
Typically the pastures under the trees are grazed, although where there are patches of better quality soil, landowners have traditionally grown citrus, vines and olives. This has created a rich 3)mosaic of habitats, which is as beneficial for wildlife as it is for the farmers.
在土壤较佳的地段,土地的主人一般会栽种柑橘、葡萄和橄榄,而树间的草地通常用来放牧,从而造就了丰富多样的生态环境,让野生动植物与农民同样受惠。
The bark of the cork oaks is stripped away every nine years. It’s sold for many different uses from floor tiles to fishing floats, but the greatest revenue comes from the billions of stoppers we use each year to close our wine and champagne bottles. It’s because of the high value of cork bark that this ancient landscape, with its rural culture and its wildlife, have been protected until today.
栓皮槠每九年要剥一次皮。树皮用途广泛,从地砖到渔漂都用得着它。不过,赚钱最多的还是生产木栓塞,每年可为几十亿瓶葡萄酒和香槟作瓶塞。正是由于栓木树皮这么值钱,这片古老树林的田园文化和野生生态才能保存至今。
What an extraordinary tree! Cork oaks are the only trees in the world from which you could strip an entire piece of bark like this without killing it. Every tree this size yields sufficient bark to produce 4,000 corks, and this harvest provides employment for at least 60,000 Portuguese workers.
多么奇妙的树啊!世上惟有栓皮槠能被剥去整块树皮而不死。从这么大小的树剥下来的树皮可以做四千个瓶塞,采树皮的活至少让六万葡萄牙人拥有工作机会。
The black stork. The more remote areas of cork-producing woodland near the Spanish border provide a vital European 4)sanctuary for these impressive 5)enigmatic birds. Black storks are extremely rare and now highly protected in Portugal. Because they prefer to nest in mature cork oaks, they’re symbolic of the intimate link between conserving wildlife and a healthy, successful cork industry.
这是黑鹳。邻近西班牙边境的偏远木栓林为这些美丽神秘的鸟在欧洲提供了重要的安身地。黑鹳极为罕有,在葡萄牙是受到高度保护的鸟类,它们爱在成年的栓皮槠树上筑巢,所以是野生动植物保护与木栓业唇齿相依的象征。
The spring flowers have long withered, but throughout May until mid-June, the summer flowers provide a new 6)tapestry of colour. Stunning though they are, it’s not this astonishing display of wild flowers which will save the Montado. It’s more to do with 7)visionary farmers like Francisco, who are prepared to experiment with new ways of improving the production and the quality of cork bark for the factories.
春花早已凋零,但在五月到六月中旬,缤纷夏花给大地盖上了一张新的花毯。繁花虽艳,但单靠繁花怒放也保不住木栓林,而要靠像弗朗西斯科等有远见的农户愿意试验新方法,为工厂提高木栓树皮的产量和质量。
Francisco: The main reason why I plant 8)lupins in the Montado is because I am of the opinion that we can’t have bare soil in the Montado. Lupins is a 9)legume. It fixes nitrogen in the soil and it also covers the soil in winter, avoiding erosion, and you can graze them when it’s dried with sheep or cattle. It’s very good for the soil below the cork oak.
弗朗西斯科:我在林里种植羽扇豆的主要理由,是我认为木栓林不能有裸土。羽扇豆是豆类植物,能保存泥土里的氮气,也可在冬天覆盖地面,避免土壤遭侵蚀,干枯了也可以放牛羊来吃。它对栓皮槠下面的土壤非常有利。
Ground cover like this also helps retain moisture and keep the shallow tree roots cooler during the height of summer when temperatures can often reach 40℃ or more.
这些地被也有助于保存土壤水分,仲夏时有助于浅树根保持阴凉。要知道,此地仲夏气温往往会超过摄氏40度。
Most of this load of high quality cork will be turned into wine stoppers, essential for the economy of the Montado. As a bonus, the cork oaks themselves will absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Billions of high quality corks are still used by wine bottlers all over the world. They are low-energy, 10)bio-degradable product that ticks every green credential.
这批优质栓木主要用来制作葡萄酒的木塞,是木栓林的经济支柱。种植木栓林的额外收获是它每年可从大气层会吸收数百万吨的二氧化碳。全球如今仍耗用几十亿枚优质木栓塞,这种低耗能、可生物降解产品,符合所有的环保标准。 翻译:旭文
