Philosophy Of Wine
I’ve been enjoying the Philosophy Bites series of podcasts and in particular, the interview with Barry Smith of Birkbeck College, discussing the philosophy of wine. As a lapsed philosopher, oneophile (wine-lover) and passionate fan of the film Sideways, I found the discussion both compelling and moving. Smith manages to push the discussion beyond the scope […]
I’ve been enjoying the Philosophy Bites series of podcasts and in particular, the interview with Barry Smith of Birkbeck College, discussing the philosophy of wine. As a lapsed philosopher, oneophile (wine-lover) and passionate fan of the film Sideways, I found the discussion both compelling and moving. Smith manages to push the discussion beyond the scope of aesthetics and metaphysics, what we might call the philosophy of taste, onto a ground more associated with the study of culture and identity.
For me, the great pleasure of wine lies not in it’s intoxicating effect, but in the way it connects me culturally. It’s something that, in a climactic moment, the new Pixar film Ratatouille manages to explain with elegant simplicity. Like great food, great wine, even really good wine transcends a momentary hedonic (pleasurable) experience locates us within an unfolding cultural story and clarifies our growing sense of identity.
[tags] Wine, Philosophy [/tags]
