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Interview with Sandrine Goeyvaerts, author

In her sixth and latest book, Cher pinard, the wine merchant, sommelier and journalist explores the taste of wine, from its genesis to its current trends, including its language, its experts... Exciting.

You write it yourself: there have probably never been so many tools and books to accompany the tasting. Why then a new book on the subject? What is its starting point?

For several years now, I have been questioning wine from a political angle. It is crossed by so many stories, cultures... So many pretexts to examine, through its prism, what is happening in our societies. Cher pinard is part of this long-term work. After Vigneronnes, which examined the issue of women in the wine industry, then Manifesto for an inclusive wine on language, this time, very codified of this drink, exploring taste seemed like a logical progression to me. I was particularly driven by the dichotomy between what is declared to be loved and what is actually drunk...

The first part of this book questions the genesis of taste. In this field, against all odds, there are many parameters to take into account...

Yes, it is commonly accepted that the taste is very natural and instinctive. A completely personal creation ex nihilo. This is evidenced by the expressions "All tastes are in nature" or "To each his own tastes". However, the context, education, socio-cultural background, environment, culture... influence the construction of taste, from birth, even in utero, and then throughout life.

Then follows the difficulty of expressing the taste of wine, of sharing it, of making it intelligible to as many people as possible... (...)

Find the full interview here