The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus not only gave his name to the enjoyment of food and wine. He thought deeply about the nature of pleasure
Wine, Art, and Intentions
Are some wines works of art? Most philosophers would say no. Works of art are artifacts designed by human beings to express or represent something.
Appellations as Style Police and Terroir
The purpose of the appellation system was to guarantee the origin of the grapes used to make wine so consumers would know what is in
Go Ahead. Put Ice Cubes in Your Wine.
Rules have a way of escaping the context in which they have a point. They become rigid as their champions ignore the need for contextual
Wine and “Making Special”
In recent years there have been several important books devoted to understanding art as a product of human evolution. The art historian Ellen Dissanayake is
Are Single Vineyard Wines Inherently More Distinctive?
Tom Barras captures an important distinction within the wine-buying public in his post about wine appreciation. I could be wrong, but my gut feel about
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 