wrote:
Steven Sullivan wrote:
: well, wine connoisseurs have also been known to fall flat on their faces
: when their 'powers' are tested under controlled comparison conditions.
: IIRC red was even confused with white in such a test.

That's a bit of an overstatement. I've read that average people who
CLAIM to be wine connoisseurs often are unable to distinguish red from
white in blind tests. But you have examples for real recognized experts?


You want the work of Drs. Brochet et al., who have studied the
relationship between expectation and perception of wine taste.
They have tested 'grandes sommeliers' as well as university
students.

Here's a popular media article about it from the New Yorker:

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020819fa_fact

googling the terms
brochet wine blind
will bring up plenty more. It's interesting stuff and not
just about 'red vs white', but about how language affects
perception as well.


Note that I say above, 'have been known to fall' -- that doesn't mean
I think that *every* one would *always* fail to discern
real differences accurately. It is always
interesting to note, however, how over-confident 'experts' can be of
their own senses' reliability.


--

-S