Silly Tasting Notes and Neuroenology

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Book Reviews, Wine Tasting

Faces - silly tasting notes

Silly Tasting Notes and Neuroenology It might seem obvious, but the taste of wine occurs in the human brain. Indeed, there is a good deal of scientific research that’s gradually revealing how this works. A terrific book called Neuroenology, by Gordon M. Shepherd, explains this in detail. So why also include the Silly Tasting Notes in this article? Well, once the taste …

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A Haiku for Pointless Wine Scoring

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Wine Tasting

O Ren Ishii. © Miramax. Kill Bill. Haiku

A Haiku for Pointless Wine Scoring Some recent correspondents have asked why I don’t append a points score to the wines I recommend. Well, I’ve always preferred words to mere points when evaluating wine. So I prefer reading to seeing yet another naked 90+ point score. They’re just noise. Instead of being part of the equation, now they are the equation. Points …

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Corks Out! Diam Bouchage fights back

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Sustainability, Wine Business, Wine Tasting

Corks Out! DIAM Bouchage fight back

Corks Out! Diam Bouchage fights back. Hands up who has had a bottle of corked wine? Ok, that’s most of you. And I don’t mean wine with a few bits of cork floating in it. It’s the awful smell and taste of musty or mouldy cardboard. The culprit is TCA, short for 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole. It forms when airborne bacteria and fungi …

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Breaking Glass – which fizz glasses are best?

Paul Howard Articles, Blog, Wine Tasting

Breaking Glass

Breaking Glass – which fizz glasses are best? One rainy Sunday afternoon I tested the suitability of various stemware for fizz in an experiment called Breaking Glass. What works best for bubbly? Admittedly my Breaking Glass test was conducted without much scientific rigour. Different glasses were hand-washed beforehand to ensure there were no lingering traces of detergent, which kills bubbles …

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