Today's longread is controversial but for a slightly different reason than others this week. In this piece, Jonah Lehrer (who himself has been the subject of some controversy lately), argues that we are remarkably limited in our ability to taste differences in wines. Instead, our perception of a wine's taste is influenced by other factors such as its cost, lineage, or perceived social value.
I think this is an affront to a lot of the foodies or wine connoisseurs out there who see taste as a (largely) objective thing with clear winners and losers. What do you think? Can you taste the difference?
"Does All Wine Taste the Same?" by Jonah Lehrer
Published in the New Yorker, June 13, 2012
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/frontal-cortex/2012/06/wine-taste.html
Eric
A quick comment...
ReplyDeleteFor me, a lot of the time a wine tastes great because of the food, the company, and the lighting...among many things.
There have been a few times though in my life when I took a sip of a red wine and had a visceral reaction right behind my ears that moved up into my cheeks...I like to think that this is my personal rating system for a fantastic wine.
And as an artist, some nights I find myself sketching or painting while drinking wine. On those nights, it doesn't matter the taste so much as the creativity happening;) Though rarely do the ideas get better as the night goes on...