Bentley Bentayga S

How to get seduced by a car: cover 1,000 miles in three days in hope rather than expectation. Five stars. Would recommend

- Darren Styles

Robert Parker, the world-famous wine critic, whose celebrated 1–100 scoring system can send a vineyard or vintage’s values soaring into the stratosphere, was once honest enough to admit that one or two percentage points could get added to — or taken from — a score on account of the company in which any given wine was consumed.

“All reviewers are human,” he explained, “and any review can’t help but be impacted by the writer’s state of mind at the time. It’s art as well as science.” On which basis, one assumes, those sending a fine white burgundy for review might also send a couple of bon viveurs to share it. Thank you for agreeing to review our St Aubin premier cru; Stephen Fry and Jennifer Coolidge will be with you shortly.

If you think about it, that likely applies to every subjective review you encounter. Notwithstanding that Tripadvisor is awash with venting holidaymakers who’ve had a terrible time, whereas those who’ve enjoyed a pleasant break aren’t motivated to engage, a theatre critic sitting to see a show after a good day is inherently more likely to enjoy it than someone dogged by a cataclysmic day at the office.