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

by George M. Taber

In Judgment of Paris , George M. Taber masterfully chronicled the historic 1976 wine tasting when unknown California wines defeated top French ones, marking a major turning point in wine history. Now he explores the most controversial topic in the world of What product should be used to seal a bottle? Should it be cork, plastic, glass, a screwcap, or some other type of closure still to be invented? For nearly four centuries virtually every bottle of wine had a cork in it. But starting in the 1970s, a revolution began to topple the cork monopoly. In recent years, the rebellion has been gathering strength. Belatedly, the cork industry began fighting back, while trying to retain its predominant position. Each year 20 billion closures go onto wine bottles, and, increasingly, they are not corks. The cause of the onslaught against cork is an obscure chemical compound known as TCA. In amounts as low as several parts per trillion, the compound can make a $400 bottle of wine smell like wet newspaper and taste equally bad. Such wine is said to be "corked." While cork's enemies urge people to throw off the old and embrace new closures, millions of wine drinkers around the world are still in love with the romance of the cork and the ceremony of opening a bottle. With a thorough command of history, science, winemaking, and marketing, Taber examines all sides of the debate. Along the way, he collects a host of great characters and pivotal moments in the production, storage, and consumption of wine, and paints a truly satisfying portrait of a wholly intriguing controversy. As Australian winemaker Brian Croser describes "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."

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction, History, Food and Drink

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of the battle for closing a wine bottle. For centuries, corks were used, but at just the wrong time, there was an epidemic of cork taint. This made expensive bottles of wine smell and taste bad. Other stoppers were developed and considered, but many still prefer corks.

There was a battle for supremacy.

I think maybe we should go back to amphorae.

[cynthia Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book because began my professional career performing quality control for natural cork wine stoppers. It's an often overlooked aspect of the wine industry and the vast majority of the population (including a surprising number of winery tasting room employees) is uneducated or undereducated about TCA and other wine defects that can be caused by various bottle closures. Unfortunately, this book is not nearly as well-written as Taber's last book, The Judgement of Paris. It is full of sentences like, The only way he could guarantee the success of the venture was to take the financial risk of investing in the latest high-tech equipment. This is not a direct quote b/c I didn't mark the page, but if it GUARANTEES your success then it's not exactly RISK, is it? I know what he's trying to say, but the words could and should have been chosen better. It's almost like he rushed this book to press without adequate review and revision so that it could ride on the coattails of Judgement's popularity. I decided to forgive the book's faults and continue reading it because I really wanted to bolster my somewhat outdated cork expertise (1999-2000). I'm glad that someone has finally written a comprehensive account of this topic and I'd recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in wine. I just wish that it was a better read so that I could recommend it to the more casual wine consumer who might not share my passion for the subject matter.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as a non-oenophile, I found this to be quite a riveting read. Taber does a good job blending history (a brief run through of wine closures through the ages), interesting factoids (like how the term 'butler' came about), the science behind the phenomenon of "corking" and reduction, and the stories of wine makers and closure companies in their quest for the perfect closure. Stelvin screwcaps, natural corks, technical corks, agglomerated corks, colmated corks, T-tops, plastic corks, SupremeCorq, Twin Tops, glass stoppered wines - the next time I open a bottle of wine, I'll pay more attention to the closure. You'll never look at a closure the same way again after reading Taber's book.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a wine connoisseur, and I mean a true wine connoiseur, you will in all likelihood enjoy this book. Anyone else and you will be wasting your time. The theme of the book is the age old problem of what is the best closure for a bottle of wine.

For centuries all wine bottles were closed by a cork fitting. Wine makers started finding that a significant number of their bottles had a peculiar taste which they believed came from the cork (cork tainting). They determined that it was caused by - I really don't think you want me to get into it.

This is a highly technical book that will be of true interest to the grape grower, wine bottler,and the TRUE wine connoisseur.

The rest of us will find that the interesting part of the book deals with the history of the cork. The history is fascinating and the fight, down through the centuries, between the cork producers and the wine industry. Of some interest will be the attempt to find another suitable closure for the wine bottle, and trying to get the buying public to accept another closure other than cork.

I found the book to be way to technical for readers that did not have an absolute passion for wine. Most of us would be better off not buying the book (I can't believe I wrote that) but rather buying a medium priced bottle of wine.

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So packed with fun info I want to read it twice.

[Monica Bittencourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante interessante e didático. Pena que está desatualizado. Podia ter uma edição mais nova e atualizada.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and accessible read!

[Tonari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grazie a questo libro ho scoperto una vera e propria passione per i tappi! Adesso non è più la stessa cosa tenere un Nomacork o un Diam tra le dita. Veramente molto interessante!
In breve l'autore ci accompagna attraverso la storia del tappo di sughero e di tutte le sue varianti venute in essere negli ultimi quaranta anni, dopo il drastico peggioramento nella qualità dei tappi naturali (dovuto a produttori oligopolisti poco interessati al miglioramento). E' incredibile constatare la profondità di questo mondo, spesso largamente ignorato dal consumatore finale. La tecnica e gli investimenti necessari sono faraonici, massimo rispetto per chi lavora in questo campo.

Se proprio posso muovere un appunto, alcune parti sono meno rilevanti di altre e sembrano messe in mezzo per allungare il brodo. In questi casi il libro scorre più lento.
Tuttavia non posso esimermi dal mettere cinque stelle a un libro che mi ha colpito così tanto. Raccomandatissimo, ma solo se siete molto appassionati di vino, diciamo anche un po' nerd.

[Jonathan Desimone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating history of wine closures through the years. Who hasn’t opened a bottle of wine to find it has gone to vinegar or worse? Despite all the work done on producing wine, there is still much we do not know about what happens in the bottle and how the closure impacts the outcome.

The author talked to a number of producers on both sides of the pro and anti cork debate. He also discusses a number of different alternatives to cork including the Stelvin screw-top, glass corks, plastic corks and a few others. While there is some agreement that a screw-top or plastic cork is fine for wines meant to be drunk now, the debate continues about wines that must age.

The cork industry has also improved its process and technology over time and developed a series of best practices to reduce the presence of TCA, the chemical which “corks” a wine and can render it undrinkable if present in sufficient quantities. Unfortunately, TCA can still get into the bottle through no fault of the cork producer as the author details in various case studies of winery contamination due to the use of chlorine and related chemicals.

It’s an interesting read for wine buffs with a series of interesting stories about the development of various closures and their effectiveness. In the end, it seems like multiple closures are here to stay.

[Ken Angle · Rating 4 out of 5]

OUTSTANDING Read!
This one will sneak up on you!

Besides Robert Hooke few people besides me can get excited about the physical properties of Cork. Taber has taken the seemingly boring facts and details of chemistry - microbiology and wove them into a fastinating story.

One would expect that a drink so universally consumed for more than 9000 years would be better understood.

It is not an exageration to say; wine making is more witchcraft than science. Taber has written a book that blends the art of wine making, the science of fermentation and the history of vinetum.


Blow the dust of the cover. Reach up and snatch this forgotten book off the seldom read stack.

It will be one of your best books of the summer.
KGA

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The screwcap vs. cork debate has been going on as long as I've been in the restaurant business, and nobody has ever written such a concises historical and biological assessment of the cork industry, as it affects the wine industry. I don't actually know of anybody else who's even attempted to really break down all aspects of the debate. George Taber does an excellent job. This book is a must have for any sommellier, wine director, wine seller or just lover of wine. I am now better equipped to enter the fray when a customer asks "what's the difference between cork and screwcap?"

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

You must be completely enamored with wine to enjoy the writing of Mr. Taber and his journey with the glass of wine and all the complexities that went into it and making it to your lips. It took me a long time to finish this book and although at times it bordered on "encyclopedic," I thoroughly enjoyed and found myself totally fascinated by the history and science behind a wine bottle, it's closures, and of course, the wine itself.

[Aaron Giddings · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'd think that a book entirely about which closure to use on wine bottles would be boring. You'd be wrong. I found To Cork or Not To Cork fascinating, both in explaining the history behind cork, the reasoning behind why various wines are now closed the way they are, and what the future may hold.

There's no real judgment of what makes a "superior" stopper, however. Perhaps that's for the best. Provided the stopper works correctly, preference ought to be left to the person opening the bottle.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I'll definitely be paying a lot more attention to wine closures from now on, now that I know the positives & negatives that are associated with each kind. I like wine but don't know that much about it - this book made me feel a little more educated.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew there was so much to know about wine closures? I keep bugging my husband by relating little tidbits & I love the "corked wine" stories sprinkled between chapters. I know very little about wine--other than I enjoy drinking it--and this book is going to give me plenty to talk about at my snobby wine club next week!

[Johno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this even more than his Judgment of Paris. In Judgment, one learns about the characters that made the wine industry in California. In Cork, one learns apsects about what gives a wine its characters. More interested in the people in the wine business? Read Judgment of Paris. More interested in the wine itself and issues that affect it? Read To Cork or Not to Cork.

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a decent read if you are interested in wine. The first chapter is a terrific overview of both the history of winemaking and of cork. After that though it began to lose me, reading more like a textbook than a book directed at the lay person. After about four chapters I put the cork back in this one.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this discussion of different wine bottle closures (screwcap, glass stopper, cork, etc.) after picking it up and putting it down several times. Lots of interesting trivia, but it's kind of all over the place and sometimes not very coherent.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. There were a lot of things I didn't know about the different types of closures available in the market for wine bottles. Even with all of the bad reviews and issues with cork, it's still the best way to open a bottle.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding insight into the wine industry and the issues around wine closures!

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on the history of and current trends in wine bottle closures. Not exceptionally well-written, but interesting, for geeks.

[Don LaVange · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, but scattered review of the history of wine closures.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little dry, but not bad so far.

[Avadhut]

fdfdfdfdfdf

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even a wine lover like me resorted to skimming after about 50 pages. Perhaps a different kind of reader might enjoy this but me, not-so-much.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took some time to finish this book, since I would read a few chapters and then put it down to read another book. This is not a criticism of this book, because I find that I do it with most non-fiction books. I enjoy learning about new things and this debate is intriguing. There are so many pros and cons regarding cork use in wine bottling. I liked the "behind the scenes" look at this part of the wine industry. Passing this book on to my brother, who is a true "wine snob". ;)