I'm glad that Bosker undertook her journey because no way I would sign up for that kind of dedication, but she had be both laughing and taking notes that will add to my wine confidence and some that I'll use in any tasting and further learning about food and drink. I like and firmly agree with the quote: "Every person has the capacity to find and savor the soul that lives in wine--and in other sensory experiences, if you know how to look for it." Cork Dork gives plenty of ways to look for it.

For readers of Anthony Bourdain, Susan Orlean, and Mary Roach, a surprising, entertaining and hilarious journey through the world of wine. But capturing the life of a sommelier and capturing the beauty and joy of wine are not the same thing. For one person I spoke to, there’s actually a tension between the goal Bosker entered her project with — understanding what’s the big deal about wine — and the one she ultimately pursued — transforming herself into a sommelier. That person is Eric Asimov. I have read many ‘wine books,’ some casual, some pedantic, and many happily informative. But Bianca Bosker’s book stands out as being spectacularly successful in teaching us about wine, in making us love wine, and in presenting a tone of unfailing good humor.”Cork Dorkis a brilliant feat of screwball participatory journalism and Bianca Bosker is a gonzo nerd prodigy.This hilarious, thoughtful and erudite book that may be the ultimate answer to the perennial question of whether or not wine connoisseurship is a scam.” –Jay McInerney, author of The Juice Liz Martinez, sommelier and director of beverage service at Birmingham, Mich.-based Daxton Hotel, says that while cork has come a long way in quality, these days, alternative closures definitely have their place on the wine shelf, especially with wines that require little to no aging time. Bistagne says he hasn’t seen any impact on the flavor of his wines but isn’t too sure if there is a notable shift overall. “For me, since I changed, I did not see a change in the general profile of my wines compared to the previous vintage that I was closing with natural corks,” he says, conceding that some of his colleagues have noticed changes and therefore employ different closures for different wine styles. In this delightfully written and keenly observed book, Bianca Bosker helps us become connoisseurs not only of wine but also of people whose passions would more aptly be described as obsessions.” –Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators

One alternative closure that Martinez thinks doesn’t get enough play at the moment is glass. “Not many people have seen these and are pleasantly surprised at the elegant presentation of these reusable closures,” she says. “It’s an expensive alternative, but fun and whimsical.” I enjoyed this book at the start, and then slowly started to despise it until I was about 60% done with it. At that point there were fantastic sections that dig into what truly defines “good wine” and how variable the definition can be. But, since many of these alternative closures let in far less oxygen than those enclosed with cork, they may benefit from time in a decanter. “Since we use the ArdeaSeal, I think it is even more important, as due to the almost perfect closure, the wines need to be aerated to ‘open’ them,” says Bistagne. “Of course, in a restaurant, it is not possible to open a bottle so early, but sommeliers have the techniques to prepare a wine to be tasted in a short time,” he says. Credit: Vinventions Pop the Cork Then Bosker takes all this access and opportunity and distills it into knowledge that she passes on to the reader with wit, sarcasm, and glorious humility.Pairings: 2015 Pedernales Texas Albarino & 2014 Silverado Vineyards Petit Verdot. I selected both of these wines because they are unlikely gems in the wine world, just like Bianca Bosker’s Cork Dork. The whole notion of connoisseurship is a by-product of geographic locations that don’t make wine in the first place, Asimov argued. And when you focus on the way connoisseurs like sommeliers taste wine, what you end up doing is alienating regular consumers, because you convey that that’s the way you’re supposed to do it, and the way they are currently doing it is wrong. “That creates this sense of tension and anxiety that a lot of people I think experience,” explained Asimov. The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef, by Marco Pierre White and James Steen

The Kitchen Confidential of wine: Read this book, and you’ll never be intimidated by wine—or wine snobs—again.”

Named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Fortune, Smithsonian, Bustle, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Booklist, and more