-PHOTO TAKEN 01JUL03- Antonio Boneco strips a cork tree with his axe on a farm...

-PHOTO TAKEN 01JUL03- Antonio Boneco strips a cork tree with his axe on a farm at Santana do Mato in the Portuguese southern province of Alentejo, just as he has done every summer for the past 50 years, July 1, 2003. Whether his grandchildren will still be stripping the same trees in another 50 years will depend on if the new technology and branding embraced by the cork industry can defeat a challenge from synthetic bungs. Portugal is the world's biggest producer of natural cork, a time-consuming business which could be replaced by plastic stoppers that are far easier to make and claim to preserve the taste of wine better. Picture taken July 1, 2003.