Summary In wine education and sensory science, we aim to train tasters who can exhibit consistency and accuracy in describing and quantifying aroma and taste. Any deviation from machine-like performance is seen as a flaw, and the popular press is quick to claim “wine experts can’t tell red wine from white wine!” In

Sommeliers’ brains seem to fascinate scientists. Every few years, a new study pops up where somms are subjected to MRI scans whilst they blind taste and pontificate.

Late afternoon in Nice, almost the golden hour when the Mediterranean turns from cobalt blue to Homer's wine-dark sea. Sitting with a friend at a café, I hold up my glass of rosé to the setting sun. Platinum, not a drop of pink. 'Is this actually rosé? Seems like white wine,' I wonder aloud. 'It's made from red grapes—it's rosé. This is how they do it now,' my friend insists. The conversation drifts on as the sea and sky continue to change but the thought remains.