"To Cork or Not To Cork" by George M. Taber

I admit. I'm biased toward natural cork. There is mystique associated with the ritual of cutting the foil wrap, inserting the cork screw, and pulling the cork out; the ritual is filled with anticipation and excitement of discovering how the wine inside the bottle has aged to its fullest potential. Its really the way to enjoy the art of wine. With the mystique and anticipation also comes with disappointments. Yet, that is all part of the art of wine experience. It does not matter whether the ritual is held at Per Se, at Applebee's, at home, or outside patio on a midnight summer. The ritual is not complete without natural cork; or said differently, there is no mystique in opening a bottle of wine like you would a bottle of Coke.

This was before I read "To Cork or Not To Cork" by George Taber.

It was few years ago that I read another Taber's books: "Judgement of Paris". I'm a Taber fan now, having read two of his books. I'm impressed with how Taber can write books on wine with passion and excitement yet without a hint of arrogance that the very topic brings to the masses.

Taber brought the debate of cork or non-cork to a whole new level. He's void of any bias or preconceived notion one way or the other on this debate. He covered different types of stoppers - from natural cork, composite cork, synthetic cork, glass stopper, screw tops, and other types - with as much science that one can bring to the art of wine experience.

It was an eyeopener for me to see how wide-spread the issue of "corked" wine is in the industry. It was educational to read what we know about "corked" wine and what we don't know. Now with more knowledge of the science of wine experience, you appreciate more the art of wine experience. The debate will go on for at least another generation or two. We will not likely to see any clear winner in this debate.

Based on what we know today, I'm a bit more knowledgeable about the science of wine experience to better appreciate that to enjoy the art of wine experience, we sometime have to do away with rituals and traditions and challenge something new; because there is always new discoveries that can awe us.