To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle Book

Foreword   Karen MacNeil     vii
Prologue     1
Nature's Nearly Perfect Product     5
The Making of a Cork     17
Message in a Bottle: London     25
Science in the Service of Wine     27
The Long Search for an Alternative     37
Message in a Bottle: Block Island, Rhode Island     51
A Disastrous Decade for Portuguese Cork     53
The Rise of Australia     61
Message in a Bottle: Miami     69
The French Cover-Up     71
Supreme Corq Breaks the Monopoly     81
Message in a Bottle: Houston     97
From Perfect Cork to Perfect Disaster     99
A New Generation at Amorim Makes Big Changes     109
Message in a Bottle: Las Vegas     117
California Looks for a High-Tech Solution     119
Australia Blazes New Paths     127
Message in a Bottle: Paso Robles, California     139
PlumpJack Makes a Bold Gamble     141
New Zealand's Rebels with a Cause     145
Message in a Bottle: Ringoes, New Jersey     155
Funeral for the Cork     157
Back to the Future with a Glass Solution     165
Message in a Bottle:Hattenheim, Germany     173
The Bottle That Wears a Crown     175
Trouble in the Cellar at Hanzell     181
Message in a Bottle: Gulf Mills, Pennsylvania     193
The Problem of Reduction     195
France Remains Hesitant     209
Message in a Bottle: New Zealand     219
American Experiments with Closures     221
On the American Front Lines     235
Message in a Bottle: San Francisco     241
The Penfolds Recorking Clinic     243
Battle for the Wine Bottle     249
Conclusion     263
Selected Bibliography     267
Acknowledgments     269
Index     271