Todd, Cain 2010. The Philosophy of Wine: A Case of Truth, Beauty and Intoxication. Durham, Acumen.

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CONTENTS: 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

About the Author Cain Todd is a lecturer in philosophy at Lancaster University.

Review "Cain Todd's work is a pioneering study of the concept of taste as applied to wine, and a serious attempt to make sense of one of the most peculiar forms of criticism currently exercised. It is a skilful bid to rescue wine from the gluttons and to save it for the aesthetes, and all true lovers of wine will be greatly stimulated by its arguments and examples." Roger Scruton, Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Washington and Oxford

DESCRIPTION:

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.

REVIEWS:

"Cain Todd's work is a pioneering study of the concept of taste as applied to wine, and a serious attempt to make sense of one of the most peculiar forms of criticism currently exercised. It is a skilful bid to rescue wine from the gluttons and to save it for the aesthetes, and all true lovers of wine will be greatly stimulated by its arguments and examples." – Roger Scruton

"Winemakers usually work with an aim in mind and know when they succeed or fail. Gaining an understanding of that aim helps us to recognise and celebrate great wines for the achievement that they are. Cain Todd's book helps us get there, and offers gentle philosophical lessons along the way." – Barry Smith, New Statesman