The topic of wine appreciation appears in a surprising number of seminal texts on aesthetics, those by renowned philosophers ranging from Plato to Hume and Kant. Yet in all of their writings, wine is a philosophical topic that is quickly dismissed as irrelevant, or even dangerous. The Aesthetics of Wine questions this historic reluctance to ascribe aesthetic attributes to wine, arguing instead that an appreciation of fine wine should be afforded aesthetic consideration-and can lead to valuable aesthetic experiences. Moreover, the authors reveal how the dismissal of wine appreciation stems from certain prejudices against the bodily senses of smell and taste, inherent biases that seriously misrepresent the nature of aesthetic perception and judgment. By tackling these prejudices utilizing a suite of philosophical strategies such as social epistemology and phenomenology, the authors reveal a unique new formulation of the very foundations of aesthetics-one that is built on concepts such as context, emergence, inter-subjectivity, practices, and trust. For philosophers, aesthetes, and wine lovers alike, The Aesthetics of Wine offers unique philosophical insights regarding a celebrated drink with undeniable links to the foundations of Western civilization itself. Ole Martin Skilleås is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bergen. He is the author of Philosophy and Literature (2001); several articles on philosophy, aesthetics, and literature; and is a regular contributor to Vinforum , a Norwegian wine magazine.

Douglas Burnham is Professor and Personal Chair of Philosophy at Staffordshire University. He has written extensively on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche and philosophys relation to the arts.