Al As A Wine Critic: What Will They Think Of Next!
Sommelier India|Spring 2023
Last May, news broke that Artificial Intelligence or AI was used to write a convincing wine review.
Shoba Narayan
Al As A Wine Critic: What Will They Think Of Next!

The news, reported in Scientific American and Food & Wine magazine quoted two reviews, written using “deep learning” algorithms, went thus: “This is a sound Cabernet. It’s very dry and a little thin in blackberry fruit, which accentuates the acidity and tannins. Drink up.” Another said that the wine was, “Pretty dark for a rosé and full-bodied, with cherry, raspberry, vanilla and spice flavours. It’s dry with good acidity.”

If you read this, would you believe that it was a human review? I would.

I am caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, I subscribe to the growing antipathy in wine circles over the pretentiousness of wine descriptions and the esoteric terms popularized by some critics. You know the kind I mean? Descriptions that talk about cat’s urine, tar, wet leather, and the insides of a man’s shoe (not a woman’s shoe but the more robust version that comes from a male chromosome) in an attempt to illuminate a Northern Rhône. Such overwrought prose is supposed to entice you to sip the said bottle.

Robert Parker, the revered and reviled American wine critic, is often blamed for these long and often meaningless descriptions. His descriptions include words like “a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt (has anyone smelled creosote and if so, what is it?)” Other Parker classics say that a wine smells like sweaty saddles, rubber, a cigar box, pencil lead, sea spray or an array of berries. Such overwrought descriptions may be specific but are useless because they don’t aid olfactory memory.

Bu hikaye Sommelier India dergisinin Spring 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Sommelier India dergisinin Spring 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SOMMELIER INDIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Godinho Historic family owned restaurant
Sommelier India

Godinho Historic family owned restaurant

Feasting on Portuguese and Indigenous Goan flavours, relive the calm and quiet of a time long gone by,

time-read
3 dak  |
Winter 2024
Laurent Ponsot is one of Burgundy's most celebrated winemakers
Sommelier India

Laurent Ponsot is one of Burgundy's most celebrated winemakers

Jon Wyand finally captured the mercurial Laurent Ponsot - a renowned winemaker and vintner known for his exceptional Burgundy wines - on camera

time-read
2 dak  |
Winter 2024
Exploring Brunello vintages
Sommelier India

Exploring Brunello vintages

Ten years in the bottle, a long decant, and yet the harsh tannins overshadowed everything.

time-read
4 dak  |
Winter 2024
An ode to the diva grape
Sommelier India

An ode to the diva grape

It is worth tasting Pinot Noir in all its varied roles - from the shy, delicate ingénue, and simple yet intense New World newbie to the full-on Grand Cru prima donna

time-read
4 dak  |
Winter 2024
Best ways to explore wine in a new city
Sommelier India

Best ways to explore wine in a new city

The first thing most of us want to do when we go to a new city, be it Dallas or Boston, is to enjoy a few good wine tastings

time-read
4 dak  |
Winter 2024
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Sommelier India

Champagne Billecart-Salmon

One would think that a 200-yearold Champagne as renowned as Billecart-Salmon did not need any marketing, yet Billecart-Salmon AsiaPacific head, Sebastien Papin was recently in India to tell us about the brand and how the wine is best appreciated.

time-read
2 dak  |
Winter 2024
A thoughtfully curated wine experience
Sommelier India

A thoughtfully curated wine experience

Wine tastings at Vintage Wines in Karjat, Maharashtra, are designed to enhance the appreciation of wine and deepen our understanding of it, writes

time-read
3 dak  |
Winter 2024
The legacy of Henri Gouges
Sommelier India

The legacy of Henri Gouges

The wines of Maison Henri Gouges from the commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges are considered among Burgundy's hidden gems

time-read
6 dak  |
Winter 2024
An overview of Sussex and
Sommelier India

An overview of Sussex and

Rosemary George describes the importance of Sussex as an appellation and its potential for tourism

time-read
5 dak  |
Winter 2024
Shades of Rosé
Sommelier India

Shades of Rosé

Rioja and Navarra share a love for Grenache, producing two very distinct styles of rosé, writes Elizabeth Gabay MW, which succsesfully enrich the category as her tasting notes illustrate

time-read
5 dak  |
Winter 2024