"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> graham wrote:
>> This is worth reading!
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...ience-analysis
>
> This article, which contains little in the way of new information, is
> really taking swipes at a straw man. How many people, beyond the
> readership of the Wine Spec perhaps, really hold to the notion of
> intrinsic "quality" in wine or the myth of objectivity in tasting. Unless
> one is a trained "technical" taster, the tasting of wine is inherently
> subjective and influenced by myriad extraneous factors. This is one
> reason why I no longer do much blind tasting or even large-scale tastings:
> they bear no resemblance to the way in which I actually consume wine,
> which is with food over the course of an hour-or-more dinner.

Well stated for many of us. However numerous straw men and their clones
wander into retail wine outlets every day, aggressively clutching their
latest
Parker or WS printouts of The Good Wines, and insist on seeing and perhaps
buying *only* wines that have scored 90 or better. The function of those who
actually taste wines and evaluate their store inclusion is trivialized and
is
indeed becoming more so. The Scoresheet Clutchers know exactly what
scores they want and insist on them, having trouble considering or buying
wines not on the Sheets. I remember when a Jancis Robinson or Steven
Tanzer review was ignored because they were not well enough known.
I wouldn't mind seeing a condensation of the Guardian article placed in
every serious retail wine shop. It wouldn't work, but it would be fun.

pavane