Dear Pinard, a taste of revolution in our cannons | Sandrine Goeyvaerts

 Après ses deux derniers livres remarqués, 𝑉𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑠 (2019) et le 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑢𝑛 𝑣𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑓 (2021), Sandrine Goeyvaerts est de retour avec un essai majeur : véritable manuel d'exploration des nouveaux territoires du goût, et de celui du vin en particulier, tout autant que déclaration d'amour à l'altérité et à l'ouverture dans le monde du vin et de la gastronomie en général.

Quels vins boirons-nous demain ? Comment et à partir de quoi seront-ils élaborés ? Comment coller au goût de l'époque tout en répondant aux problématiques sociales, sociétales et environnementales qui nous concernent toutes et tous ?

L'autrice nous propose d’observer et d’analyser, à travers le prisme du goût, ce vin qui change : de Hong Kong à Sydney, de l'Équateur à la France, du monde des critiques à celui des sommelier·ères, de l’intelligence artificielle aux neurosciences, le goût du vin s’est façonné à partir de ce que nous avons de plus intime – le cerveau et ses milliards de connexions – pour devenir politique, grâce à l’histoire, la culture et l’écologie… Aujourd’hui la révolution du goût est en marche, et c’est réjouissant !

Interview with Sandrine Goeyvaerts, writer In her sixth and latest book, Cher pinard, the wine merchant, sommelier and journalist explores the taste of wine, from its origins to current trends, via its language and its experts… A fascinating read. You wrote it yourself: there have probably never been so many tools and books to accompany wine tasting. So why a new book on the subject? What is its starting point? For several years now, I’ve been looking at wine from a political angle. There are so many different histories, so many different cultures… so many excuses to examine, through its prism, what’s going on in our societies. Cher pinard is part of this long-term effort. After Vigneronnes, which looked at the issue of women in the wine world, and Manifeste pour un vin inclusif, which looked at the highly codified language of wine, exploring taste seemed to me a logical progression. I was particularly drawn to the dichotomy between what is declared to be loved and what is actually drunk… The first part of this book looks at the origins of taste. In this field, against all expectations, there are many parameters to take into account… Yes, it is generally accepted that taste is very natural and instinctive. A completely personal creation ex nihilo. The expressions ‘All tastes are in nature’ or ‘To each his own’ bear witness to this. However, context, education, socio-cultural background, environment, culture… all influence the construction of taste, from birth, even in utero, and then throughout life. Then there is the difficulty of expressing the taste of wine, of sharing it, of making it intelligible to as many people as possible… There’s a whole vocabulary associated with this world. Words that sometimes make expressing taste and tasting difficult for everyone. And while professionals are quick to pick up on the jargon, for those with a limited knowledge of wine, learning the language can be complex. Intimidating even. And the fact that it remains so is not entirely insignificant… Watch the full interview here