Another day, another complaint about wine scores. At Wine Searcher, Joel Peterson, head winemaker at Ravenswood, in response to a question about the 100-point scoring
Category: Philosophy of Food and Wine
Does Wine Knowledge Make Wine Taste Better?
Does knowledge improve your ability to enjoy wine? Obviously it does if you get enjoyment from knowing about wine regions and varieties. But do you
A Puzzle About Taste to Think About While Ignoring the Relatives at Thanksgiving
I’ve been thinking about how beliefs influence what we taste. We know our ability to evaluate a wine is influenced by price, reputation, background music,
Food Memories, Emotions, and the Wretched Egg
The smell of food is a remarkably efficient activator of long forgotten memories. The particular smell of a cake or of Mom’s apple pie is
Civilization and the Smell of Sweaty Saddles
Wine is really difficult to enjoy because its virtues demand opposing, incompatible mental states. Wine tastes good and produces the mild buzz that has a
Is Cooking an Art or Craft?
In his wonderfully eccentric cookbook Eat Me, New York chef Kenny Shopsin writes: I think the difference between art and craft is that in craft
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 