1st Edition

The Philosophy of Wine A Case of Truth, Beauty and Intoxication

By Cain Todd Copyright 2011

    Does this Bonnes-Mares really have notes of chocolate, truffle, violets, and merde de cheval? Can wines really be feminine, profound, pretentious, or cheeky? Can they express emotion or terroir? Do the judgements of 'experts' have any objective validity? Is a great wine a work of art? Questions like these will have been entertained by anyone who has ever puzzled over the tasting notes of a wine writer, or been baffled by the response of a sommelier to an innocent question. Only recently, however, have they received the serious philosophical attention they deserve. Touching on issues in metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and aesthetics, this book provides a clear and engaging discussion of the philosophical significance of wine that will be accessible to all wine lovers, specialists and non-specialists alike. The author offers throughout a sustained defence of the objectivity of wine judgements, a demystification of the nature of expertise, and a theory of the aesthetic value of wine and its appreciation.

    Introduction 1. The Experience of Wine: Tasting, Smelling and Knowing 2. The Language of Wine: Chemicals, Metaphors and Imagination 3. The Case for Objectivity 1: Realism, Pluralism and Expertise 4. The Case for Objectivity 2: Relativism, Evaluation and Disagreement 5. The Aesthetic Value of Wine: Beauty, Art, Meaning and Expression Conclusion

    Biography

    Todd, Cain