Meet The Cork Dork, Whose Boozy Memoir Spills Secrets Of The Wine World

LINCOLN SQUARE — Does a $500 wine taste 10 times better than a $50 bottle? Do sommeliers upsell patrons based on the type of watch they wear? More importantly, what vintage pairs well with a Big Mac?

Ask the Cork Dork.

Author Bianca Bosker, former tech editor at The Huffington Post, spent a year and a half embedded in the world of wine fanatics, and along the way became one herself.

“Most days, I was drunk by noon, hung over by 2 p.m., and, around 4 in the afternoon, deeply regretting the burger I’d devoured for lunch,” she writes in her booze-fuelled memoir "Cork Dork," which she'll be discussing at the Book Cellar, 7 p.m. Thursday, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave.

And yes, the bookstore serves wine.

 

A #pairdevil (+invite to pairdevil with me 4/20!): While researching #corkdorkbook, a collector who'd just guzzled thousands of $$$ worth of Burgundy offered me a palate cleanser of Champagne--"French alka seltzer," he called it. Not wrong! And also why grilled cheese + tomato soup go great with this Cremant du Jura (sparkling Chardonnay, made like champagne but wayyyy cheaper). The 🍾's acid cuts through the fatty cheese, but stands up to the acidic tomato soup.🍷👹tagged places that carry it/label closeup in Insta stories. And I've paired the 🍾with a top from @ofmercer, where Ill be doing an IRL pairdevil + talk on April 20! RSVP ➡️https://www.ofmercer.com/pages/event-rsvp (link in bio too)

A post shared by Bianca Bosker (@bbosker) on Apr 12, 2017 at 2:41pm PDT

 

 

I look serious because I am not messing around this is my DREAM #pairdevil: Papaya King 🌭and Analemmas's Blanc de Noirs sparkling 🍾. Made like champagne, half the price since it's from Oregon. Full disclosure: I'm cheating because champagne+its cousins play nicely with basically anything you put on a plate 👹🍷 tagged spots that carry it. thx @eatblanca for the inspiration #winetime #winewednesday

A post shared by Bianca Bosker (@bbosker) on Feb 8, 2017 at 2:29pm PST

 

 

wine has a rep as the snooty aristocrat of alcohols, and while researching my book Cork Dork I found even the most confident of us are petrified of wine. In the name of making it FUN and not so damn intimidating I'm experimenting with a series I'll call #pairdevil: inspiration for pairing wines with real life (slovenly as it may be). Up first: pickles+pastrami from @pastramiqueen and Alain Graillot's Crozes-Hermitage. 100% syrah grapes, 100% big enough to stand up to a big NYC snack. 🍷👹(Tagged a few shops that carry it.) #winewednesday #winetime #corkdork

A post shared by Bianca Bosker (@bbosker) on Jan 25, 2017 at 2:49pm PST

 

 

Today is #NationalMeatballDay and @bbosker and @meatballers have you covered. 🍝🍷 #pairdevil tip for all you cheats+lazy hedonists: want to pair wine+food in the MOST delicious way using the FEWEST brain cells? Drink wine that comes from the same country as the food. 🇮🇹Like this I Custodi "Aetneus" from Sicily (think a seasoned Merlot that's seen a few things in its life) and these Meatball Shop balls (yeah yeah they're from NYC but you get the idea). 🍷👹 #repost

A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks) on Mar 9, 2017 at 9:16am PST

 

 

I'll be doing my first(!) NYC #CorkDork book event tonight (7pm, Barnes & Noble UWS) and in honor of the big 🍎, figured I'd #pairdevil black-and-white cookies. Delicious with this 1983 Chateau Guiraud Sauternes (<-place in Bordeaux synonymous with ⚡️sweet wines). Hint: sweet wines stand up 👌to sweet foods. And to drink old wines without paying a fortune, try Sauternes. 🍷👹 come hang tonight if you're in NYC/tagged places that carry it/label in my insta story. . . . #somm #sommlife #winewednesday #wineoclock #bookstagram #corkdork #corkdorks #corkdorkbook

A post shared by Bianca Bosker (@bbosker) on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:18am PDT