I recently finished my latest wine book, Cork Dork, by Bianca Bosker, which I saw mentioned in a tweet several weeks back. It was hailed by a fellow wine blogger as the best wine book he’d read in a long time. I’m not sure I would go that far but it did teach me a thing or two about the wine industry, particularly about sommeliers.
After watching SOMM, I knew quite a bit about the life of a sommelier or would-be sommelier and this book extended that knowledge. I appreciated the refreshing prose as Bosker described all that she was learning and experiencing and at times I found myself laughing out loud!
It got a little slow for me when she delved into the scientific concepts of taste and composition but the narrative on what makes wine a quality wine was thought-provoking and interesting to me. In fact, I am still ruminating on that one!
We buy a fair amount of what Bosker calls “commercial wine,” or wine that is mass-produced and meant to be easy-drinking for the general wine drinking public. It’s not by choice but rather it’s the easiest most of the time. “Hey, honey, run to the liquor store and pick up a red that will go with steak!” Seriously, though, just because wine is mass-produced, does it mean it isn’t as of high quality? That’s the question posed.
I’ll let you read for yourself and decide how you feel about mass market wine versus old world vineyards and small artisan wines. Meantime, this book is definitely recommended for those who are curious about what it takes to become a sommelier and who like to think about wine from all angles. I’m glad I added it to my wine library!
What kind of wine goes with this book? Why, take your pick! Many are mentioned throughout the book and it makes for good research for your next big wine purchase! Cheers!
Editor’s Note: The feature image associated with this post is courtesy of © Bianca Bosker/Penguin