Unless I misunderstand you, that’s an absurd overstatement at best.
My wife is a somm as are many of our friends. I joined in on many of their study sessions as each of them went through various phases of their certifications.
Granted I’m lucky to tell a Pinot from a Chardonnay, but watching trained Simms do blinds is impressive. It’s a mix of a very specific process - they work from “the grid”, picking apart specific properties of a taste one bit st a time - as well as incredible amount of practical knowledge that comes from tasting an absurd amount.
It’s another thing to say that tastes don’t necessarily correlate with price - any honest somm will tell you that. But anyone with a reasonable amount of experience can tell a $5 bottle of Cupcake or a two buck Chuck and something less industrial.
I know there’s a lot of excitement for lab made - it’ll rightly be seen as just another technique eventually.
My wife is a somm as are many of our friends. I joined in on many of their study sessions as each of them went through various phases of their certifications.
Granted I’m lucky to tell a Pinot from a Chardonnay, but watching trained Simms do blinds is impressive. It’s a mix of a very specific process - they work from “the grid”, picking apart specific properties of a taste one bit st a time - as well as incredible amount of practical knowledge that comes from tasting an absurd amount.
It’s another thing to say that tastes don’t necessarily correlate with price - any honest somm will tell you that. But anyone with a reasonable amount of experience can tell a $5 bottle of Cupcake or a two buck Chuck and something less industrial.
I know there’s a lot of excitement for lab made - it’ll rightly be seen as just another technique eventually.