George Taber’s new book To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle contuines on from his excellent first book Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine. Taber’s second book only addresses the various types of closures one finds in the wine industry. He does an excellent job of creating a page turning story out of a lot of science. The personal stories from winemakers and inventors add a great deal of background to the story.

Taber is able to strike a fairly good neutral ground and avoids showing prejudice toward one type of closure over another. His examination of the cork industry is very informative with respect to all the changes they have made for the future and all the errors they have made in the past.

Even if you are not a wine geek, this is an enjoyable book for all to read. And several times throughout the book you will find yourself learning some new piece of science or history that will make cocktail parties more fun.