On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 08:53:14 -0700, "Ken Blake"
> wrote:

>Anyone read the article on glassware (Riedel in particular) in
>the August Gourmet magazine? It deals with whether there really
>is a difference.
>
>If you've read it, any comments?

It is titled "Shattered Myths" by Daniel Zwerdling on page 72 of the
August 2004 issue of Gourmet Magazine, a Conde Nast publication, phone
US (212)286-2860 in New York.

The article bolstered my suspicion about the power of suggestion and
wine: if someone tells you X, then you are likely to perceive X. So,
I still think this business that the shape of the glass affects the
quality of the taste/smell is plain old marketing bull$hit.

For example, according to the article, the glass pushers predicate the
shape effect on the "tongue" map, while acknowledging that this is a
debunked idea.

I also liked the discussion about how the "proof" was supposed to have
been provided by an American University study. Turns out to be an
undergraduate research project which actually concluded the opposite,
but apparently a journalist misunderstood the findings; however, the
initial--and incorrect--story got replicated by other media.

Get it through your library. Definitely worth the effort to get it
and to read it, especially before you go to a glass manufacturer's
presentation on how shape affects taste. I am looking forward to
going to one of them in which they let me ask questions.

--
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