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

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 wine: 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: "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."

"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." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The author of the surprise hit "Judgment of Paris" uncorks another fascinating, extensively researched expos on wine: to cork or not to cork. Calling on his journalistic training and passion for wine, Taber traces the history of the cork and examines its modern substitutions.

George M. Taber is the author of Judgment of Paris, the 2006 wine book of the year for Britain's Decanter magazine. His second book, To Cork or Not to Cork, won the Jane Grigson Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best book on wine and spirits and the Andre Simon Award for best wine book. Before turning to writing wine books, Taber was a reporter and editor for Time.