American Foodie by Furrow Dwight

Author:Furrow, Dwight
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
ISBN: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2016-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

Thus, according to Bach, practice at discerning flavor and texture patterns may be necessary for appreciating wine, but knowledge of wine regions or winemaking processes are not necessary for sensuous enjoyment.

I’ve already argued that the emotional dimensions of food and wine are more extensive than Bach allows. He is equally mistaken about their cognitive dimension. If certain kinds of sensuous enjoyment are more readily available when we have relevant knowledge of the practice of art, I see no reason why knowledge of the practice of winemaking would not yield a similar sensuous engagement with wine. This argument holds for knowledge of how food is sourced and prepared as well. Knowledge of how grapes are grown, facts about the geography and weather conditions that influenced the grapes, and knowledge of winemaking practices can direct our attention to particular flavor profiles in wine in just the way knowledge of an artist’s intentions or the age of a building focuses our attention on the relevant aesthetic features of paintings or buildings. The taste of a wine is a complex whole with many dimensions, some of which are obscured and partially hidden by dominant flavors. Wine knowledge helps unravel this complex whole and enables us to gain greater sensory awareness of its elements. The same can be said for foods if their flavors are sensitive to growing conditions or to cooking methods.

Are these sensory features unavailable in the absence of knowledge? Are we utterly unable to sense them without deep knowledge of production processes? I think the answer is probably no, but we are less likely to focus on them or be aware of their existence, and less likely to appreciate them in the absence of knowledge that makes production factors stand out as significant. I might be able to sense the difference between a mild vanilla flavor note and a rich coconut aroma in a Cabernet. But without knowing the significance of the decision to use French or American oak, I’m unlikely to pay attention to the difference in flavor. It is less likely to provoke attentional focus without the influence of knowledge.

Furthermore, knowledge of grape-growing and winemaking practices gives us a palpable awareness of the challenges of winemaking and the materiality of the process, and enables us to assess how well the winemaking operation performed given the challenges of climate and geography. If the materiality of paint yields a kind of affection that enhances our sensuous response to a painting, I see no reason why a similar affection for the material dimensions of wine would not enhance our sensuous response to the wine. In fact, we know that affection makes us perceive other humans as more beautiful; a similar enhancement to the sensory pleasures of wine would also seem a natural response.

Finally, although flavor notes and tactile impressions may be, in principle, individually discernible without substantial cognitive engagement, I doubt that a finely honed, discriminating sense of balance, structure, elegance, or finesse is likely without knowledge of what is in balance or what the elements of structure are.

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