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To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle
 
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To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle (Hardcover)

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4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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  Kindle Edition, October 9, 2007 $14.30 -- --
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unexpectedly fascinating, this history of wine corks may sound like a book only an oenophile could love, but Taber's zingy writing and juicy anecdotes make it a genuine page-turner, even for those who prefer wine coolers to wine lists. The first chapter alone is full of intriguing facts: for instance, wine was once sealed with a slick of olive oil, and the practice of tasting wine before pouring it "actually started as a way of making sure all the oil was gone." Cork, a structurally unique substance used for sealing bottles since the Roman Empire, replaced olive oil centuries ago, but cork is not a perfect solution to the vexing problem of protecting wine: between 3 and 5 percent is tainted with a noxious chemical compound that can ruin an otherwise perfect bottle. The debate about whether or not to continue using cork has torn through the multibillion dollar wine industry, pitting traditionalists against innovators, cork farmers against scientists: "Says Brian Croser, one of Australia's leading winemakers, 'It's scary how passionate people can be on this topic. Prejudice and extreme positions have taken over, and science has often gone out the window.'" If it seems strange to harbor such passion about cork, Taber, a respected wine journalist, will do much to change your mind.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

"Fascinating...This discussion not only is relevant to today's wine producers and enthusiasts but will continue to stimulate interest until the 'perfect' bottle closure is developed. Highly recommended, especially in wine-producing and -consuming areas." - -- Library Journal (starred review) --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Scribner (October 9, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743299345
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743299343
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #400,206 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

George M. Taber
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars To Cork or Not to Cork--This is Quite a Question it turns out., October 3, 2007
By David J. Gannon (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
In To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle George Taber reviews the car wreck that exists at the intersection where Art, Science, Commerce and Snobbery collide within the wine world. It is a tale of passion, technology, arrogance and stupidity run amuck. And it is a much more compelling and entertaining story than one might imagine.

The cork has always been an imperfect vehicle for the sealing of wine bottles. While many over the years attribute it's shortcomings to an inadequate seal of the bottle it is in fact the introduction of a chemical called tricholoroanisol (TCA) into the wine. This introduction results in a product that has all the aroma and taste of, as the author phrases it, "a moldy pile of damp cardboard". Wine connoisseurs for literally centuries have been seeking an acceptable replacement.

So, technology to the rescue in the 21st century? Perhaps not. As Taber points out there is reason to believe that "the perfect seal" may not be perfect. There is reason to believe that some air in the bottle provides for a better product over time, especially among the red wines. The cork's seal was sufficiently imperfect that small quantities of air do get introduced to the bottle over time. The replacement technologies--plastic "corks" and metal screw-off caps--do provide an essentially "perfect" seal. The result? What's know as "reduction', a process that yields a wine that tastes, as the author phrases it, "like sulfur infused rotten eggs".

Vast portions of the wine industry have rushed to the corner of one or the other technology. Australia has all but converted to the newer technologies. So have some of the highest end wineries in the US and (gulp) France. This has the natives in an uproar, mainly because the traditionalists--and the sommeliers of the world--view the destruction of the tableside wine presentation vignette as the surest sign that the apocalypse is indeed upon us. Tradition and snobbery, meet commerce and technology. The casual bystander should turn his eye from this grisly scene.

Where are things headed? It's possible cork may make a comeback. The cork world has finally removed it's blinders, trashed the arrogance and started to effect some much needed quality control processes that should improve the product. As is always the case these days, other outside voices are being heard, in the case the green movement that wants to preserve the cork forests of Europe and have gotten on the cork bandwagon in a big way.

I hope so. As this entertaining book comes to a close Taber seems to hope so as well. "In this world there are sounds that bring joy to all but the most jaded>" says Taber. Examples? "The purring of a kitten. The crack of a perfectly hit baseball. And the pop of a cork being pulled from a nice bottle of wine." There is no perfect technology Taber concludes and as a default, the rise of the sensory joy over commercial efficiency is something to be savors as much as any Pinot Noir.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Romancing the Cork, November 27, 2007
By Ron Saikowski "Wine Lover" (The Woodlands, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
TO CORK OR NOT TO CORK outlines the history of how wine has been protected over the years utilizing wonderful stories of successes and failures in protecting the "nectar of the the gods." George Taber's historical perspectives bring light from various perspectives as to what has been used to preserve wine from the oxidizing air. Wine makers want to protect their wines and provide their buyers with the best wine possible. Customers want the romance of "poping that cork." The cork industry wants to preserve its business. Mr. Taber looks at these various perspectives and provides further alternatives, like ZORKS. This book reads well and is broken out in manageable chapters for reading. I highly recommend this book for any wine lover. It will definitely open a new perspective in wine appreciation. George Taber's expereinces in writing for a national magazine for many years plus his love for wine make this book enjoyable reading. The passion reads well in this book!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A good look at something too often overlooked, November 12, 2007
To Cork or Not to Cork is the book the wine industry - and the wine drinker - has needed for a long time. While I spent about five minutes looking into corks and screw caps, George Taber managed to research the facts on closures like a crime-scene investigator, examine them like a neurotic physicist, and yet write like an old friend telling you his engaging life story. Even if by the end of the book I still felt that jamming a piece of tree bark into the neck of a wine bottle ranks right up there with playing in the NFL without a helmet, George has helped me realize that the perfect - and perfectly preserved - bottle of wine is still a work in progress. It won't be forever, though, now that George has enlightened us all. Don't just buy the book; buy George a drink to say thanks.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Well told history of the cork with evenhanded discussion of the alternatives.
I am a neophyte wine drinker, and I purchased this book to give me some detail on this subject.

"To cork or not to cork" gave me that and much more. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wayne Bengston

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book
This is a fascinating book, written by George Taber author of Judgment of Paris: California vs France, about the attempts to substitute screw-tops and synthetic corks for natural... Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Cundell

5.0 out of 5 stars great book
This book is so much fun to read and also offers info that you wouldn't even think about looking up. Very happy with my find.
Published 10 months ago by sweet

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book with a limited audience
To really enjoy this book I think you need to like wine, have some interest in the chemistry of wine, and enjoy stories of marketplace battles between products. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ursiform

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
I'm a wine industry professional and this book was packed with new information that was fascinating while not being overly technical. Read more
Published 15 months ago by D. Speer

4.0 out of 5 stars wine bottle closure
Worth reading, got a broad insight into the merits of different bottle closures. The time line of development was very interesting. Read more
Published 15 months ago by M. Caldwell

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Go Cork, Get Screwed!
Having read "Judgment of Paris" by this author and frankly finding it a bit of a single topic disappointment, I happily discovered in this book that not only does the author... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Charles Adler

4.0 out of 5 stars At last the truth is out
George Taber has finally unearthed what so many of us in the wine industry have been saying; Closures are dependent on the varietal, region and the target consumer. Mr. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Andrew Berwick

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