The Difference Between Being a Good Taster and Having Good Taste

It is entirely possible to be an expert wine taster and have rather boring taste in wine. I suspect this is more common than wine educators would like to admit. Consider someone who can identify grape varieties, distinguish among regions, recognize winemaking techniques, and detect subtle faults that ordinary drinkers would miss. These are impressive skills, acquired through years of study and disciplined practice. But does any of this tell us whether the person has good taste? I don’t think so. At least, not without some further qualifications. We tend to conflate two abilities that deserve to be distinguished. One is the ability to accurately identify the sensory properties of a wine and draw inferences about its origins. The other is the ability to recognize aesthetic value, to perceive what makes a wine interesting or expressivel. The skills required for each overlap up to a point but they are not identical. The ability to accurately identify the sensory properties of a wine is…