On Jan 16, 2:21*pm, Short Cellar > wrote:
> There are a few interesting books floating around now about the nexus
> of wine and philosophy: "Question of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine"
> edited by Barry Smith, and "Wine and Philosophy: A Symposium on
> Thinking and Drinking" edited by Fritz Allhoff.
>
> Barry Smith has some interesting things to say about whether wines
> have an "objective" taste, or whether are experiences of them are
> purely subjective. I find this pretty heady stuff given how much
> authority people now give to wine experts, especially those wielding
> numerical scales. It seems people really want an authority figure.
>
> Anyway, my idle thoughts on this topic are hewww.lawandstyle.ca/shortcellar
>
> I wonder what other people think.
>
> Matthew

Concerning people wanting an authority figure, I think that is good.

In any art form, I feel that there has to be an authority figure who
can explain definitions and who also can serve as an arbiter of
disagreements and disputes.

With regard to numerical scales, they can serve as a foundation for
the more basic standards of evaluation which are more easily expressed
objectively and therefore are more helpful to the beginner who
probably finds the world of wine overwhelming.

However, concerning the higher less objective standards of evaluation:

- Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that
counts can be counted.

Albert Einstein