BR: Is This Bottle Corked/The Secret Life of Wine...

As I was wandering Borders Saturday, munching away on my tofu popsickle, I stumbled across this book: Is This Wine Corked. The Secret Life of Wine by Kathleen Burk and Michael Bywater.
Didn't recognize the names, thumbing thru it I came upon a few things of interest, so decided to use my Border's 20% reward and went for it.
This is, I must say, a quirky little book. An easy read that allows you to skip thru stuff that is of little interest. The format is that they ask a question, then proceed to give the answer in some detail. But the questions cover a crazy range of topics:
When is antifreeze a bad thing? Discusses the Austrian diethelyene glycol scandal, pointing out that this is not antifreeze.
Does the wine of Antipaxos exist? Nope
Did Slovenia turn the British into a Nation of winedrinkers? Yes
Does wine really provoke the desire and take away the performance? We all know the answer to that one...but it's an interesting discussion.
The book is not without it's snarky moments. In answering the question: Was Pliny the first RobertParker; it makes nary a mention of RobertParker in their answer. It spends a full page discussing Pliny & his wine writings. But it finishes with: What can we say about Pliny as wine judge and wine writer? First of all, he was almost unbelievably hard working; he also tended to castigate those whom he thought were not working as hard. His curiosity was capacious and his command of detail admirable. Although he was willing to admit that others might think differently, he clearly saw himself as the last word.
Hmmmmm......this is Pliny?? It then goes on to point out his work is still read with pleasure and profit 2,000 yrs after his death...and then questions whether the same will be said of today's well-regarded wine writers.
In the "Must you have a wine guru" question, In short, many Americans respond to simplicity and familiarity, and, convinced by RobertParker's rock-hard certainity that he is accurate, place their wine bets on his choices implies that American wine drinkers need a guru and inply we are a bunch of Parker sheep. And then goes on to suggest that scoring systems other than Parker's might have equal validity. Shockingly naive.

Anyway, this quirky little tome is recommended as an easy and interesting read, but only for those wine geeks who are capable of thinking outside the box.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Anyway, this quirky little tome is recommended as an easy and interesting read, but only for those wine geeks who are capable of thinking outside the box.

Speaking of snarky.

I've actually been trying to keep my thoughts inside the box, but to liven up things I've gone with an octagonal hat box!
Thanks for review

Kathy Burk is herself an American wine drinker

Kathleen Burk was born and raised in California and as the daughter of a grape farmer she has wine in her bones. Whilst at the University of California at Berkeley, she travelled around Napa Valley tasting wine, riding pillion on a 750 cc motorcycle. At Oxford she discovered European wines, to which she is devoted. She has achieved a Diploma in Wine and Spirits; this is the level just below that of the Master of Wine, of which there are about 250 in the world. She writes for The World of Fine Wine, the leading magazine for those interested in both its culture and taste, and is a judge for the International Wine and Spirits Competition. She is the Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London - http://www.faber.co.uk/author/kathleen-burk

[David M. Bueker]

Good one Dale - I think I will go with a dodecahedron.

Did Slovenia turn the British into a Nation of winedrinkers? Yes

I am not sure what I am most surprised about - that Sovenia was responsible, or that Britain is (or ever was) a nation of winedrinkers.

She has achieved a Diploma in Wine and Spirits; this is the level just below that of the Master of Wine, of which there are about 250 in the world.

That reminds me of Laithwaites marketing... "This wine comes from just down the road from the vineyards of the great, famous and expensive wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape". Nothing wrong with having a Diploma, and for all I know Kathleen is a knowledgable and good wine writer, but really!

I've actually been trying to keep my thoughts inside the box, but to liven up things I've gone with an octagonal hat box!

A creative thinker = one who can conceive of a box that is not based on a plain cube shape. I like it.

She has achieved a Diploma in Wine and Spirits; this is the level just below that of the Master of Wine, of which there are about 250 in the world.

That reminds me of Laithwaites marketing... "This wine comes from just down the road from the vineyards of the great, famous and expensive wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape". Nothing wrong with having a Diploma, and for all I know Kathleen is a knowledgable and good wine writer, but really!

I blinked at that too, Steve.

Clever, clever wordplay. artfully arranged holes, and, oh the suggestion teased at with subordinate clauses. "She's almost but not quite and still about four years away from being one of the 250 people---or perhaps it will be 251 when she gets it---in the world."

Didn't mention her academic credentials, which I assume are impressive. Is she 'almost a Ph. D.' or 'just short of being a Doctor,' I wonder?

Reminds me of the Monty Python/Holy Grail bit: "I'm not dead yet!"