Interest in wine has steadily increased in recent years, with people far more sophisticated about wine than they used to be, and with more and more books being written about it, not to mention the success of films like Sideways. And, inevitably, those who take a serious interest in wine find

themselves asking questions about it that are at heart philosophical.

Questions of Taste is the first book to tackle these questions, illuminating the philosophical issues surrounding our love of wine. Featuring lucid essays by top philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, and a winemaker and wine critic, this book applies their critical and analytical skills to

answer--or at least understand--many thorny questions. Does the experience of wine lie in the glass or in our minds? Does the elaborate language we use to describe wine--alluding to the flavors of cheese or fruit, or to a wines suppleness or brawniness--really mean anything at all? Can two people

taste one wine in the same way? Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice? How much should we care about what experts say about wine? These questions and others are not just the concern of the wine lover, but go to the heart of how we think about the world around us--and are the province

of the philosopher.

With a foreword by leading wine authority Jancis Robinson (editor of the Oxford Companion to Wine), this volume will be of interest to anyone who thinks seriously about the experience of enjoying wine, as well as those interested in seeing philosophy applied to the world of the

everyday.

"The serious wine drinker seeking deeper knowledge and a more meticulous appreciation of his favorite beverage will take from these essays a glimpse into deep and subtle structures of the human mind."--Booklist

"This is a book best read with a glass of wine in hand The wine will also be a good study aid, allowing you to read test the ideas the moment they are presented."--New York Times

"The serious wine drinker seeking deeper knowledge and a more meticulous appreciation of his favorite beverage will take from these essays a glimpse into deep and subtle structures of the human mind."--Booklist

"The net effect is of an enjoyably thought-provoking curiosity."--Wine and Spirit

"The questions it wrestles with intoxicate the mind."--The Times Higher Educational Supplement

"[The contributors] prove themselves well up to the task of situating wine-centred questions within a larger framework of questions about taste and perception, subjectivity and objectivity, and aesthetic appraisal more generally."--The Times Literary Supplement

"This collection of essays is a gem, covering topics such as what we mean by 'fine wine', how we translate flavours on to the page, and the interaction between wine and the brain."--Tim Atkin, The Observer

"This collection of insightful essays addresses the experience, the language, taste, art, more. Drink and think."--Newsday.com

"This compilation of lucid essays by top philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, a winemaker and wine critic addresses such questions as: Does the experience of wine lie in the glass or in the mind? Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice? How much should we care what experts say about a

wine?"--Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette

Barry Smith is Professor of Philosophy at the University of London.