Comments on: Does wine have a gender?

By: Bennett Shelley

Bennett Shelley — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:19:09 +0000

I think that is an interesting point, it made me think a bit. Thanks for sparking my thinking cap. Sometimes I get so much in a rut that I just feel like a record.

By: Are Wines Romantic? « Inland Northwest Wine Century Club

Are Wines Romantic? « Inland Northwest Wine Century Club — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:34:44 +0000

[...] some parallels to my recent post on whether or not wines are feminine or masculine – Does Wine Have a Gender? I do think that some wines can be considered feminine and others masculine, but I’m unsure if [...]

By: Benito

Benito — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:03:38 +0000

I don’t think wines or grapes have any inherent gender, and attempts to shoehorn them for marketing purposes are typically clumsy and lead to some stupid attitudes. “Men should only drink red wine.” “Women only drink whites and rosÃ©s and sparkling wine.”

However, you can’t help the associations that your mind makes. A rich Bourdeaux blend that smells of leather and tobacco is always going to seem masculine to me. A light Chardonnay with an aroma of jasmine is always going to seem feminine. If I described an earthy French wine that smelled of barnyards and horse sweat as “like my ex-girlfriend”, I sound like a jerk insulting the wine. If I describe the same wine as smelling like my grandfather after a long day working at the farm, it’s now a wistful compliment.

It says nothing about how good or bad the wine is, nor who should drink it. Might as well be open and honest about what you were thinking while tasting the wine.

Complicating matters? Linguistics! Grammatical gender! In French, le grenache is masculine but the same grape in Spanish, la garnacha, is feminine. Or how about cultural associations? The only sherry drinkers I know around my area are male, but I understand that the drink is associated with old women in England.

I think someone could write a really long study on this topic without ever coming to any sort of useful conclusion.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:46:19 +0000

Josh,

I completely agree with your thoughts on stereotypes. I am a firm believer of trying to approach every situation with an open mind and letting it all unfold before I make any conclusions. Maybe that’s why I am such a big fan of blind tastings. Thanks for your great comments.

James

By: Ben Simons

Ben Simons — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:35:49 +0000

It’s funny, as I started reading this I immediately thought of Pinot Noir. I actually think more about assigning personality types to wines. I can see Pinot Noir as being the wallflower artist type, maybe a writer. It’s shy and reserved, but full of depth and passion.

I can understand where the gender descriptors come from, but I certainly don’t think of wines in these terms.

By: @nectarwine

@nectarwine — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:25:04 +0000

James,

Interesting question. I don’t tend to verbalize my wines by gender, but I probably have those stereotypes in my mind and “world view” of wine. To the quote on sexual stereotypes – stereotypes exist for a reason, they are statistical observations over time (right, wrong or indifferent) – they help people understand things. Even the simple stereotype of “This is the Cadillac of…” referring to quality. The problem occurs when you let those stereotypes direct your opinion of all wines (or race or gender or religion).

Good post!

Josh @nectarwine