Women Wine Critics Board

The Illusion of Objectivity

"Dr. Debs" at Good Wine Under $20 has written an insightful piece on the differences in wine writing between men and women . . .   Wine Writing and the Problem of Objectivity, or Is There Room for a Nigella Lawson of Wine Writing?

Here are some excerpts:

Here's what I think: wine points and the illusion of objectivity are related problems. The leading culprit for giving folks the idea that wine reviews are objective is, alas, the 100-point scale. This is not an entirely novel perspective, but I think it bears repeating.

So I began to wonder, is there room for wine writing that is unabashedly opinionated about wine, for a prose style that is flagrantly personal and marvelously evocative? Is there room for a wine writer who would do for wine writing what Nigella Lawson has done for food writing?

So I wonder, is there some reason why it's ok for a woman to rhapsodize about scrambled eggs but not sauternes? If so, what is it? Does it scream "undisciplined"? Does it smack of amateurism when we are striving for professionalism? Why do we put numbers on wine, but we don't grade other food products? Most important, can you help me figure out why we are ok with impassioned and highly-opinionated accounts of hamburgers but shy away from emphasizing the mysterious, subjective, glorious, and even alchemical properties of this elixir called wine?

To read the full article, click here. 

Are women "undisciplined" in their approach to wine?  Are they too "emotional," too "sensual"?

Men Are 'Wine Bluffs' According to UK Study

A new study in the UK News says Men 'Pretend To be Wine Buffs To Impress'.

"Almost one-in-four men try to impress friends or dates by pretending to be wine buffs, reveals a new survey.

However, most risk being exposed as buffoons according to the poll, which found knowledge of the drink is low despite soaring popularity.

The YouGov poll of 2,396 adults revealed more than two-thirds of people (69 per cent) do not feel they know enough about wine although many attempting to disguise their ignorance by pretending to be experts."

The article also says that, "Some are so sure of themselves that more than a third (35 per cent) of men refuse to let their partner choose wine in a restaurant because they do not trust their choice."

Men aren't the only ones guilty of bluffing--11% of the women surveyed admitted to bluffing about wine.

So, do tell!  Are you guilty of wine bluffing?  Did you bluff, or did you bomb?  Have you ever caught your friends or family bluffing about wine?