We’ve all come across those suave, confident and all-so-knowing books that tell us precisely what to drink with which dish, how to swirl, sniff, slosh and pronounce upon our wine, and, above all, how to impress our friends and business associates with our expertise.Well, this is not one of those books. Is This Bottle Corked? is something different: a book which poses – and answers – the really important questions about wine. What was Falstaff drinking when he called for more sack? What did they actually drink at Plato’s Symposium? When is rot ‘noble’? Did Clarence really drown in a butt of Malmsey? Why on earth do wine connoisseurs talk like that? What is it with Mateus RosŽ? Why do we drink to forget – and why doesn’t it work? These, and many other intriguing, amusing and curious questions are answered within, guaranteeing the reader a ‘Yes, but did you know .’ for every occasion a cork is drawn. Best read with a glass of good, second-growth Pomerol, or perhaps a soft, consoling Constantia (guess who recommended that for heartache and gout?) or maybe even a glass of St Anne’s Rhubarb and Ginger Wine, this book is as much for bon vivants and those of us who just enjoy a good glass or two as for the committed oenophile. Just open, pour and relax.