CORK DORK – Book review – Algarve Plus Magazine, Feb 2026

CORK DORK – “A wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters, and rogue scientists who taught me to live for taste.”

I am pleased to share that my book review has been published in the February 2026 issue of Algarve Plus Magazine in Portugal.

The magazine is readable online or downloaded for free here.

Or read my book review here:

Cork Dork

By Bianca Bosker

Published by Penguin Press

“A wine-fueled adventure among the obsessive sommeliers, big bottle hunters, and rogue scientists who taught me to live for taste”

What happens when an ordinary wine lover — someone who has never gone beyond asking “dry or fruity?” — decides to enter the most fanatical, snobbish, and surprisingly entertaining corners of the wine world? Cork Dork by journalist Bianca Bosker sets out to answer that question with wit, curiosity, and plenty of self-mockery.

Bosker begins as a complete outsider, fascinated by the fact that some people can detect “wet stone,” “barnyard,” or even “grandma’s drawer” in a single sip of wine. Are these people born with superhuman palates, or is it all an elaborate, well-rehearsed bluff? Determined to find out, Bosker throws herself headfirst into the obsessive universe of sommeliers. What follows is a whirlwind of blind tastings, tongue-twisting terminology, and intense sensory training — often with hilariously awkward results.

Cork Dork doesn’t try to teach readers how to taste wine “properly,” nor does it lecture about what you should or shouldn’t like. Instead, it offers a playful, behind-the-scenes look at a world where taste becomes a science, passion turns into obsession, and a glass of wine can inspire both awe and absurdity. Along the way, Bosker explores bigger questions about expertise, perception, and the human desire to belong to exclusive circles.

Smart, funny, and endlessly readable, Cork Dork is perfect for casual wine enthusiasts, curious minds, and anyone seeking an entertaining nonfiction book. You don’t need to know a thing about terroir to enjoy it — just pour yourself a glass and read along.