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Cork. It's the miracle tree bark that's found in everything from baseball bats to spaceships.
軟木，那個從棒球拍到宇宙飛船無一不會用到的神奇樹皮。
But it's best known as the last obstacle in your journey to drink wine.
但它最為人知的用處還是大家在品茗紅酒時遇到的最后一道障礙。
Yes, sometimes de-corking can feel like a chore.
沒錯，有時擰瓶塞確實是一件苦差事。
No, I'm not talking about popping open a wine bottle.
不，今天我們要聊的并不是怎么開酒，
I'm talking about how cork is harvested in the first place by these guys.
而是這些軟木塞最初是如何被這些人采收回去的。
Manual cork harvesters in Portugal.
他們是葡萄牙采收軟木樹皮的工人。
It's a job so difficult and yet so artful, machines have yet to render it obsolete.
這份工作十分艱辛且十分考驗技巧，所以機器仍未能取代人工。
Welcome to Portugal where cork is the national tree.
歡迎來到葡萄牙，一個尊軟木為國樹的國度。
Cork is native to the Mediterranean basin, but nowhere does it grow more than here.
軟木樹原產于地中海，但在整個地中海地帶，又數這里的軟木樹最多。
Portugal has 35% of all the cork trees in the world.
葡萄牙的軟木樹占到了全世界軟木樹總量的35%。
This tree needs very special conditions of humidity and hot weather.
這些樹對環境的濕度和氣候要求都很高。
Since cork trees can live for 200 years,
由于軟木樹樹齡可達200年，
Goncalo's trees are the exact same trees his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents also cared for.
孔卡洛經營的那些樹他的父母、祖父母乃至曾祖父母都曾照料過。
The cork harvesting is a process that can only be done by hand.
采收軟木樹皮這個工作職能由人工來做。
The men work always in teams of two.
工人們通常兩人一組。
First, they cut the tree like a tailor. They draw the tree with several cuts to open the cork.
先像裁縫一樣砍出幾條線，把樹皮撬開。
When they throw the ax they also twist the hand to open the cork.
下斧子的時候會擰一下手臂，以便撬開樹皮。
After that, with the side of the blade, they will open and separate the cork from the tree.
之后用斧子的側面將樹皮從樹上撬下來。
The men learn from quite young to just cut the cork so it doesn't cut the layer of the cork tree.
工人們從小就學會了只砍到樹皮部分，不會傷到樹本身。
If the men cut the layer, there's a problem. They will harm the tree and open an entrance for bugs and other diseases.
否則就會出問題。傷到樹就等于給蟲子和疾病打開了一扇門。
Once a tree is harvested, it won't be cut again for another nine years.
一棵樹的樹皮被采摘過后，要休養九年，
This keeps the bark healthy and the harvest tradition alive for the generations to come.
從而保證樹皮能夠健康生長，保證后代能夠繼續延續采收傳統。
Through all of our generations, we take care of our trees like we take care of our sons.
我們世世代代都像照顧我們的孩子一樣照料這些樹。
This is very important for us.
這點對我們非常重要。
