A Couple of Cork Dorks Geeking Out on “Cork Dork” – A Book Review

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Episode 122: A Couple of Cork Dorks Geeking Out on “Cork Dork” – A Book Review  

This episode is an audio review of New York Times Bestselling book, Cork Dork: A wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters, and rogue scientists who taught me to live for taste, by Bianca Bosker. We also, ironically, open a couple of screw cap wines, drop a factoid, and serve up some shoutouts. (Previously recorded, as the ladies are attending the Society of Wine Educators Conference in Portland this week).

Intro:

Steph: “This week we’re geeking out on cork dork.”

Val: “Yes, there’s major corkdorkery up in the pod this week, as we talk about Bianca Bosker’s New York Times Best Seller, Cork Dork: A wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters and rogue scientists who taught me to live for taste.

“But first, Steph, what cork did you pull for today?”

In Our Glasses:

Steph: “You mean my screw cap that I unscrewed? When Justin drops me off at Whole Foods and he runs into Wilbur’s Total Beverage, he carries out the 2014 Poggio Anima “Samael” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Sounds good to me! This Italian red made in Abruzzo from Montepulciano grapes is a wine to sip while reading a good book, like Cork Dork, or pour with your pizza. I’ve had it both ways.

“Samael, the drawing on the label, is also known as the Angel of Death. He is a seducer and tempter. So, although the label is a little creepy, I think it stands out and is memorable. Especially when you tell someone you’re bringing the Angel of Death to their house for dinner.”

Val: “You know, I too have a screw top. It’s a “Unicorn Wine” – not just because there’s a unicorn on the label, but this is the 2015 Pfeffingen Scheurebe from the Pfalz region in Germany.

“Apparenly Scheurebe is a cross between Riesling and NOT Sylvaner, as some had once thought, but the Wines of Germany page is still saying this. Others are saying “unknown grape” (Jancis in Wine Grapes, although her website also says Sylvaner). Who knows? Either way it was created in 1916 by a grape breeder named Georg Scheu. Now it’s in my glass and there’s a cute unicorn on the label. I’d like to hear what some of the characters in the book we just read would say about it.”

Main Discussion : Cork Dork Book Review

Val’s take:

First, overall impressions, because there’s so much to unpack – or uncork here.

Bianca didn’t just infiltrate the ranks of somms and become a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She geeked out with sensory experts, scientists, perfumers, neuroscientists, had her brain scanned and went above and beyond – all while staying perpetually hungover (at least at first) in the name of research. To go to the lengths that she did to understand biological functions, like the olfactory system was just as important as learning the difference between a Meursault and a Montrachet.

She really brings us inside the the inner workings – and even the dark side, if you will – of many aspects of the world of wine. Yet, those of us who love wine the way we do, often insist on going deeper into the decadence – like the $1500 “orgy” she writes about – that, honestly, I can’t even fathom. It was so over the top.

Overall, the humor was spot on, in a book absolutely stuffed with historical tidbits, science, wine facts, processes and procedures. But what I enjoyed most was that this page turner was the cast of eccentric characters, their comments, and how the book was absolutely abundant with the one-liners.

Some of my faves:

  • “A support group for misfit scientists” – It reminded me of that episode of Friends when everyone went to the Paleontology conference with Ross.
  • The image of all the somms lining up to smell an empty martini glass lying on a hotel lobby table and trying to guess what was in it. I mean …
  • “No sudden movements” when she was likening the somm’s job to a hostage negotiator

Bottom line for Val: “Her wit made this book journey for me so enjoyable by revealing so much craziness through a smart, objective, and fairly non-partisan lens. I enjoyed the vocabulary and terminology the somms use on the floor as well. Just when you thought you’d heard it all …there’s Morgan. And Paul. These dudes…”

Steph’s take:

I took schizophrenic notes on a way-too-small scrap piece of paper. I finished the last lines in the Epilogue, closed the book, and said out loud, alone in my house, “Wow…. Thank you, Bianca.”

Shaking my head, I smirk at the number of pages I dog-eared … 34! Some of them were 4 pages in a row!

What a strangeness to read something that really illustrates the training and tasting that I’ve put myself through, and yet, because the nature and intimacy of being a wine student is so personal, Bianca’s story is totally unlike mine. When I was held captive by the chapter titled The Trial, I formulated that I was part Bianca and part Annie. Like Bianca, once I passed the Certified Sommelier exam, not much would change in my life. I wanted to pass, but didn’t need to for financial reasons. But like Annie, I had no help studying for the exam and was completely solo. She was learning by failing and taking the test multiple times just to figure it out.

One of my favorite wine descriptors she quotes is “asparagus fart water with extra grapefruit.”

In my own cork dorkery, I got so much joy reading about the olfactory information, especially the “love apples” on page 97. Back in Elizabethan times, women peeled apples and tucked them under their armpits to saturate them in sweat and then offered them to their sweethearts to inhale. I also geeked out about the odor receptors regenerating every 6-10 weeks. Seriously, I could read an entire book about all that!

Reading the book made me feel even more connected to the wine world, specifically via this podcast. Bianca quoted and talked to some of the guests we’ve had on this show – i.e. Tim Hanni, MW, Eric Asimov, etc. There are people in the book that are on our guest list – either we plan to interview them later this Fall (i.e. Laura Williamson, MS) or we want to but haven’t gotten around to it yet (i.e. Levi Dalton of the I’ll Drink To That Podcast).

There were even anecdotes and tangents in Bianca’s book that touched on different concepts and guests from our podcast such as using all your senses to taste wine, including music, like we talked about with Kala Maxym. Page after page, I was reminded of our recent conversation with Jordan Cowe and his mindfulness approach to wine called Be Wineful.

Your Thoughts:

For those of you who have read the book, we’d like to include your thoughts, favorite moments, or opinions in the next episode. Please post, write, or leave a speakpipe message by August 15th and we’ll get it into the show and/or blog.

The W25 Book Club

Our next book is _______________? All suggestions from listeners are welcome. We will start our next quarterly book review on October 15th and the episode will release mid-late November.

Steph wants to read: Neuroenology: How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine by Gordon Shepherd, but we want your inputs as well. What books are high on your “must read” list?

Factoid:

There were a lot of factoids and vocabulary words in the book.

PX = personne extraordinaire (Val admits she will never be one of those, as she does not have the bank to drop on sick bottles or attend wine orgies.)

One little tidbit that caught our attention was this: In 1852 the NYC somms were first trotted out in the restaurant work, but the first female somm wasn’t a publicly known figure until 1943 when an article was written about a female wine steward.

We also read aloud (on the show) a passage in which the scourge from Paris, group of peculiar people called *gasp* sommeliers who really should find “real jobs.” That’s pretty much what the dude wrote.

Wino Radar:

Val: “Flipping through the July Tasting Panel magazine this morning over coffee and blueberries (my dentist, hoping she’s not listening) I saw Chareau Aloe Liqueur. This piqued my interest when I read how it was made, and Meridith May’s tasting notes. Chareau is made with less sugar than most liqueurs, and I can’t even wrap my head around the flavors and aromas. There’s also a Salish Sea Hibiscus Liqueur, and Somrus Alphonso Mango Liqueur, among the many featured. So much to taste, so little time!”

Steph: “My radar and shoutouts are grouped together this week. I found 2 new podcasts that I’m checking out and enjoying. One is The Corner Table Podcast and the other is The Philosopher’s Zone.

“The Corner Table is a food and drink show hosted by food writer Lindsay Christians in Madison, Wisconsin. I listened to the Porch Pounders episode with her local wine expert Bob Hemauer and thought it was very well done. The sound quality is perfect, the hosts are entertaining, and the content relevant. I am going to keep on listening!

“I came across The Philosopher’s Zone, presented by Joe Gelonesi, because I have a Google Alert set up for “wine podcast” and the most recent episode of this podcast was titled Wine: a matter of taste? So, naturally, I’m checking it out and seeing what parallels this Cork Dork book. Fun stuff!”

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