Who will replace Robert Parker, and when?

Suspicions confirmed Neil? Sue is officially and from now on, to be known as an old man's darling! But what the hell, I have you by eight years!

Drinking that stuff'll make you a goddamn sexual Tyrannosaurus... just like me.

Uh...your love life will be extinct....?

Think I'll leave the quercophily to you......

I believe that the palate DOES start to betray one some time after 60, obviously in varying degrees and at different rates of failure.

Broadbent refuses to taste blind - no confidence in not making a mess of things and little percentage even if he did get it right. You have to give Parker that - he still goes where even the giants no longer are willing to tread.

I will defer to you on this topic, Bill, as I did hedge with the "anecdotal" bit. I'd always assumed that Broadbent's policy was one of long standing, but from what you say I take it that it was a recent thing? And does Parker actually engage in public blind tastings? I'd thought that he didn't because of the lack of control over glass choices, pace, etc.

Mark Lipton

I believe that the palate DOES start to betray one some time after 60, obviously in varying degrees and at different rates of failure.

I disagree in a way. In Okie talk, the smeller really goes, which causes the palate to perceive less flavors.

Being serious, the prevalence of impaired olfaction increases with age; it is estimated that 50 percent of adults over age 60 have a decreased sense of smell. Olfaction plays a significant role in our detection of the aroma and flavor of foods and beverages. Older people often no longer look forward to eating and drinking, and they often refuse to go out to dinner and associate with friends -- this is not to mention the dangers associated with the inability to detect the odors of spoiled food, smoke, and leaking gas.

Flavor involves the combined features of smell, taste, irritation, texture, and temperature. The smell or aroma of food and beverages is the most important contributor to flavor; derangement of the olfactory system is often described by people as a problem with taste. Olfactory disorders are reported more frequently than taste impairment since people recognize smell loss more readily due to the dramatic decrease in the ability to perceive the flavor of food and beverages.

Total loss of taste is rarely seen because of the anatomy and redundancy of the taste system. Losses in taste perception do occur with aging, although they are not as marked as losses in olfaction.

Dave,

Interesting blog.

I think WS works for a lot of people, but I'm not talking about the people who participate on this forum. I'll bet we don't watch half as much TV as most people do, either. WS looks a lot like TV, which reflects American mass taste. I buy into the WS staff's opinions about as often as I buy the stuff I see advertised on TV, like mattresses. But I do admit the magazine is pretty.

Interesting blog.

Covert

A lot of interesting comments here. Thanks.