Wine tasting notes are full of nouns that reference fruits and other aromatic substances. These are helpful in giving readers a foothold in understanding a
Category: Wine Culture
Wine Criticism Should Explain How Wine Works
Most wine writing tells us three things: whether the critic liked the wine, what the wine smells and tastes like, and how good it is
Is Terroir a Sensory Fact, a Story, or a Critical Practice?
Terroir may be the most important word in wine and also one of the least useful when left unexplained. Some people treat terroir as an
The Aesthetics of Freshness: Is it Liberation or a New Orthodoxy
Freshness is now everywhere in wine. It is how we describe lower alcohol, higher acidity, less extraction, less oak, and early picking on the production
Is Authenticity the Wrong Ideal for Wine?
Wine culture loves authenticity. The word appears (or is implied) everywhere. We find it in natural wine, where authenticity means minimal intervention. We find it
Wine’s Oversupply Problem is an Aesthetic Problem
Last week I posted on the central difficulty the wine industry faces—too many wineries with too few customers. The preferred solution is more customers but
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 