Wine resists language. It slips through the mesh of vocabulary, defying even the most finely woven nets of metaphor, reference, and sensory notation. We reach
A Glass Against the Machine
There’s something tragicomic about the fact that wine consumption is declining just as we need it most. Here we are, deep in the decadent delirium
On Pleasure, Food, and the Moral Meaning of Flavor
Published initially at Three Quark Daily. In a culture oscillating between dietary asceticism and culinary spectacle—fasts followed by feasts, detox regimens bracketed by indulgent food
In Praise of the Wandering Palate
This essay entitled “The Wine Drinker as Flâneur” by Jason Wilson is the most pleasurable piece of wine writing I’ve encountered in quite a while.
Flavors That Offend: The Aesthetic Function of Disgust
The culinary world thrives on pleasure and refinement. But some of the most revered dishes flirt deliberately with revulsion. From stinky tofu’s fetid allure to
Jefford’s Stinker about Minerality
I have great admiration for Andrew Jefford. His columns are invariably insightful, thoughtful, and well written. Or at least that used to be the case.
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 