Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 11:55:50 -0400
From: mark <whitroth at 5-cent.us>
To: bsfsgeneral <bsfsgeneral at bsfs.org>,
 WSFA Official List <wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com>,
 WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Wine-tasting: it's junk science
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Excerpt:
So drawing on his background in statistics, Hodgson approached the
organisers of the California State Fair wine competition, the oldest contest
of its kind in North America, and proposed an experiment for their annual
June tasting sessions.

Each panel of four judges would be presented with their usual "flight" of
samples to sniff, sip and slurp. But some wines would be presented to the
panel three times, poured from the same bottle each time. The results would
be compiled and analysed to see whether wine testing really is scientific.

The first experiment took place in 2005. The last was in Sacramento earlier
this month. Hodgson's findings have stunned the wine industry. Over the
years he has shown again and again that even trained, professional palates
are terrible at judging wine.

"The results are disturbing," says Hodgson from the Fieldbrook Winery in
Humboldt County, described by its owner as a rural paradise. "Only about 10%
of judges are consistent and those judges who were consistent one year were
ordinary the next year.

"Chance has a great deal to do with the awards that wines win."
--- end excerpt ---

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis>

Personally, I'd assume they could tell the difference between, say, Boone's
Farm Apple Wine and an actual chablis... but not that far beyond that. And,
of course, if that wasn't enough, my taste buds *ain't* that great, so I buy
the best wine I can buy at a *reasonable* price (<$20/bottle); the same for
single malt. For bourbon, as long as it's sour mash....

mark
--
If libertarians believe in freedom and democracy, then why aren't
they pushing a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the Electoral College?