This post is the result of more than seven years of in-depth research. In early 2000, my then-boyfriend-now-husband and I moved from Virginia to San Francisco. Within two hours of the city, you can visit hundreds, if not thousands, of wineries. This proximity to California's multitude of wine growing regions started us on the path to becoming Cork Dorks. In its simplest definition, a cork dork is essentially a wine geek -- a person who is passionate about wine, who talks about wine, who waxes nostalgic about wine, who reads about wine, who bleeds wine. I'd like to expand this definition to also mean that a cork dork collects the corks of the wines he or she drinks. We are so protective of our collection that we moved it with us to Budapest from California!

Zoli's and my collection contains more than 845 corks. When I first heard of the Top 5 Group Writing Project on the hilarious At Home in Rome blog, I thought I would go through my corks and pick my Top 5. Maybe I would choose a cork  for its beauty. Maybe for its uniqueness. Maybe because of a memory. As I looked at each cork, however, I found that I was attracted to certain corks for what they represented, and I was surprised to notice that my favorite corks symbolized the values that I find important. 845 contenders became 18 finalists, which became five winners and one honorable mention.

With no further ado then, I give you my Top Five Values that You Can Learn from Wine Corks:

1. Perseverance
   This cork was twisted and strained almost to the breaking point, showing that if you don't give up, you will be rewarded.
   
2. Creativity and Thinking Outside the Box
   When I first set up my flower boxes, I was dismayed to find that the brackets did not properly fit on my balcony. Luckily, my cork collection offered the perfect sized solution!
   
   
3. Adventurousness and Trying New Things
   Life is infinitely enriched by being open to new things. You will never know what something is like unless you try it.
   
4. Laughter
   Puns may not be the highest form of humor, but this cork shows that the winemaker is not afraid to poke fun at himself or at his customers. This cork is from a bottle of Smoking Loon, and the "WHOOH WHOOH WHOOH COUGH WHOOH WHOOH WHOOH" cracked me up the first time I saw it.
   
   Alternately, it's never a bad idea to quit smoking!
   
5. Tolerance
   Check your prejudices at the door. Just because a wine has a screwcap does not mean it is a bad wine!
   

Honorable Mention: Love and Friendship
What is life without love? I'm a romantic, and love for me is as much a part of life as is oxygen, so I don't need to be reminded of its value. However, some people need to be reminded that love is something special, so if you are one of those people, this one's for you! I've had this cork for a little over two years. It's a vintage Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame, a gift from a friend in honor of Zoli's and my engagement. The point? Not only is love worth celebrating, but so are your friends.