Day 6 - Merida & Andalusia
We left our hotel around 9:00 am and stopped in Merida at IPRACORK a Cork Institute that performs studies and conducts research to assist producers and users of cork. The institute collects samples of corks from cork farmers and processors and conducts studies of diseases, weather impact, harvesting and processing practices, etc.
We learned about the affects of climate change on cork and the cork harvest including the reduction in width and quality of the bark. One of the big discussions was about contamination of cork from TCA. TCA - Trichloroanisole - is the cause of wine being "corked". Smelling the cork after you open a bottle of wine is actually to determine if TCA is contained in the cork and the wine is ruined. If the cork smells musty or like wet cardboard the cork contains TCA. The Institute works with cork processors, producers and winemakers to reduce the possibility of TCA being introduced into process.
We met with Maximo, the head of the institute, who provided interesting information about the properties of cork. For example, it is waterproof, it floats, expands after being boiled/steamed, and can be easily compressed.
He actually let us perform a couple of fun experiments to observe cork properties.
We then proceeded to Merida, another UNESCO Heritage Site, to see numerous Roman era ruins. Among the ruins, discovered in 1910, were an amphitheater that seated 16,000 and a theatre that seated 6,000. Throughout the town, as existing buildings are demolished many Roman ruins have been discovered. It is surreal to walk down a city street lined with shops and restaurants and suddenly happen on Roman ruins that are being restored or are in the restoration process.
There is also a beautiful bridge from 465 AD that has been restored and is now a pedestrian bridge.
Later that night, we walked up the steep drive to our hotel in Alcala de Los Gazules in the Cadiz province. The view of the town was spectacular!
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