Is Wine Art?

Reflection No. 06

The question of whether or not wine is art usually focuses on the issue of who is the artist — nature or the winemaker. A photographer takes a photo of a tree and it inspires a new way of seeing. Nature created the beautiful tree that inspired the photographer, but the photographer took the photo. Who is the artist of this photo? Does the distinction even matter? 

Perhaps the more important comparison is the role of art in society and how wine relates to that. Art is the expression of ideas that provoke emotional and sensory response capable of taking us on a journey into ourselves. It creates the space to contemplate what our senses are telling us. Wine must be art because its aromas, flavors and sensations have the potential to express nature, history and culture. It too offers a moment to pause and reflect on the experience our senses are providing. 

The tidal wave of technology is propelling us forward at a rapid pace. Suddenly we find ourselves in a place where decades have passed and we cannot remember what happened in between. In the words of sculptor Constantin Brancusi, “Whoever does not detach from the ego never attains the Absolute and never deciphers life.” Civilization needs to slow down so that we can take a moment to be more present in the details of our days. Wine, like other forms of art, compels us to stop thinking and participate in life, to remember we are alive and to be enlivened by it.