A really nice post in the excellent blog Vinography… Subjectivity, Aesthetics, and the Evaluation of Wine In general I use to write ‘objective’ comments on wine… just describing the wine –of course using MY own perceptions- but in general I prefer from other tasters subjective-moving comments in which the taster clearly states if e/she likes or no the wine tasted.

Opinions????

I cannot (and I don't want to ;) be objective on anything that I like it. Wine, music or any other kind of art.
Anyway, are the wine critics objective? If they were objective, IMHO, they'd only say whether a wine is right or not, but not how nice is. This point adds qualifiers to their critics that have to be guided for nudges of subjectivity.
On the other hand, what's a wine critic? Are you a wine critic? Am I? Only a person whose monthly income is from a kind of wine critic is *wine critic* ?? I don't think so, 'cos it would give us not more than a bunch of people as """" real """" wine critics....

Cheers,

Jose

Well, in my opinion a real wine critic is someone who makes his/her living writing about wines..... so we are just wine lovers.... despite the increasing amount of time devoted to wine (at least in my case ;-)) Of course that objectivity makes no sense from a critic point of view... but what happens with wine lovers... a 'objective' wine description is not useful enough????

Cheers

Soooo... being just a devil without advocateee... to be a wine critic the income of someone must come from the wine writing activities... Don't you see a paradox looking for objectivity from someone whose wage comes from his opinion about wines? }:-)

Cheers,

Jose

Well, generally speaking as a teacher I earn my salary from teaching, a writer makes their living from writing books... so ... what's the matter with a wine critic earning money from writing about wines?? I know, I also was a believer of Utopia..... but life it's so cruel ;-)

in your writings just 'cos your earning come officially from any book/magazine firm?
You're the same, therefore I would believe in your objectivity/subjectivity as much as I do right now without bearing in mind who pays your wage. Even Van Gogh suffered of poverty and was almost impossible for him living of his art ;)))

Cheers,

Jose

P.S. Psst... ey! Any wine magazin head-hunter overthere?? I'm available to listen offers! #-D

Nope, not more reliable.... but I prefer to think that neither less reliable...

in two ways, IMHO:
- The reliability of the firm where you write...
- ... your own reliability.

Both of them should walk side-by-side.

Regards,

Jose