Peter Pharos makes a fascinating observation about a parallel between scientific expertise and wine expertise. As he points out, science once belonged largely to the
Are Wine Reviews Really about Purchasing Decisions?
Wine criticism is usually treated as a buying guide. That makes sense up to a point. Wineries use good reviews to sell bottles. Retailers use
Making Wine Cool Again?
Wine used to be cool. Now it isn’t. But it was probably never as cool as we thought. Wine has always been a little expensive,
Does Wine Knowledge Increase Pleasure?
In World of Fine Wine Tim James wonders whether all that knowledge we gather, as we study books on winemaking or attend tasting classes, enhances
A Defense of Wine Writing That’s Really about Tasting
Terry Theise has long been my favorite wine writer. His book What Makes a Wine Worth Drinking: In Praise of the Sublime played a central
The Naked Emperor and 100 Point Scores
Some friends shared a lovely 95–100-point wine with me recently—a 2018 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, the iconic Chilean wine from the Maipo Valley. Don’t get
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 