Anyone who has been reading wine blogs for a while knows about Vinography, the granddaddy of all wine blogs. It's publisher, Alder Yarrow, is one of the wine blogosphere's most thoughtful, talented people and this post from last week Subjectivity, Aesthetics, and the Evaluation of Wine is one that you should check out.
After you read it, answer this question for me: What do you look for in a wine review?
I try to balance the objective traits of a wine (color, aromas, flavors) with the type of subjective commentary that Alder argues cannot (and should not) be absent from reviews. But, maybe I'm wrong. Should I focus more on the sensory evaulation and write less about my own opinions and experiences with each wine?
I believe that it is extremely difficult to remain totally objective when reviewing wines or food. It is a personal experience with individual tastes and palates. It is not perfect 90 degree angles and cut and dry. Personal experience, bias, price, preferences, all come into play everytime we taste anything. Even double blind is flawed because the reviewers preferences come into play.
Posted by: Dan | July 15, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Leave the sensory evaluation to the robots. Subjectivity is what makes these reviews worth coming back for.
Posted by: Bryan | July 17, 2008 at 07:14 PM