Wine is Essential for Writers, Raoul Dufy, 1936

As I will mention repeatedly, I see a significant similarities between the way people interact with the world of wine and with the art world. And I will be using wine analogies often, hence the title of this blog.

Wine is Necessary for Artists, Raoul Dufy, 1936

One of the most valuable talents a wine drinker should develop is the ability to tell when a wine is bad. And by “bad wine” I don’t mean a wine that you don’t like due to the style of the wine or characteristics of the varietal. I mean the wine has gone bad due to some fault along the way such as improper storage or an infection in the cork. The latter – known as cork taint – is probably the most common fault you will encounter in wine and results in a musty aroma described as wet cardboard. A corked wine will have little or no fruit and will just taste flat. Sometimes a corked wine is so bad almost anyone from novice to connoisseur can tell with one whiff. Other times the fault is more subtle and merely leads to a lessening of the way the wine was intended to be experienced. Most of the time, however, people just drink it because they don’t trust themselves to know when a wine is bad. What a shame!

Likewise, people are subjected to a lot of bad art and don’t trust in their own aesthetic instincts that try to inform them when something just isn’t right. And maybe something isn’t even art (I will leave that weighty topic for futures posts).

For me, it all comes down to experience and gaining confidence. The more wine you taste, your palette refines and will more easily identify a fault when present. The same is true for art. As you view and learn, you will become more adept at spotting the pieces that just don’t cut it. Don’t be afraid to say, “This art is corked!”