The Philosophy of Wine…UC Style

Posted by Tom Wark on Jan 17, 2006

The connection between wine and words is undeniable and ancient. Sometimes the most important thing about the words is who wrote them. The importance of words directed at wine are also heightened based upon the venue in which they appear. And sometimes, the simple meaning and impact of the words themselves are what’s important.

I presume these and other questions will be considered when Chad Arnold begins his lectures in
"Thinking and Drinking: The Philosophy of Wine"

The UC Berkeley Extension class is scheduled for April 21 at San Francisco’s UC Berkeley Extension Downtown Center. The five meeting class is described this way:

What do we talk about when we discuss wine? This course orients and
redirects students back to the wider world of language through the
physical experience of tasting and drinking wine, weekly readings, and
discussions. The course aims to establish a practical bridge between
what we know about wine and the language we use everyday: the goal
being a more complete understanding of wine as cultural phenomena. Each
session will mix information and insight as well as analysis and
creativity in an effort to better understand how we come to name
experience.

The instructor, Chad Arnold, is a poet, teacher and a member of the wine industry. He’s taught wine courses both in America and England at Cambridge.

Is this not a FASCINATING TOPIC for a college level class?  Yes, there appears to be a severe "deconstructive" quality to the course description, but why shouldn’t it. The very best descriptions of wine are themselves highly deconstructive. It would be a fascinating exercise also to look at what type of descriptors have been applied to wine over the ages and thereby understand what qualities have come in and out of favor over time.