The psychology of tasting

State-of-mind is a complex affair. Unfortunately, my formal knowledge of psychology goes no further than that somewhat bland brushstroke of a statement. I took English Literature instead. Yet for wine tasting, psychological proficiency can be just as important as literary skills. One’s response to a wine is subject to a multitude of influences. I make no claims to be a student of psychology: but I am a student of wine writing and this article is in response to the recent forum discussion about a note wot I wrote.

The tasting in question was a line-up of Douro wines, held in...