Why a Sommelier Can Taste What We Can’t: Perceptual Learning in Wine Experts
I remember sitting across from someone at a dinner once who took a sip of red wine, closed his eyes dramatically, and said, “Mmm… berries, a hint of leather, and... something earthy.” I blinked. All I saw was wine. At first, I chalked it up to theatrics. But later, curiosity nudged me. Was he just faking it, or could he actually taste those things? Turns out, it wasn’t a performance. It was perceptual learning in action. Perception Isn’t Just Passive We often think of perception as something passive: you open your eyes, you see; you sip, you taste. But perception is more like a skill. And like any skill, it can be trained and refined. Perceptual learning refers to the process by which our ability to perceive becomes sharper through practice or experience. It’s why a radiologist can spot a tumor in an image you’d dismiss as noise. Or why a seasoned musician can identify the key of a song just by listening to a chord. Sommeliers (professional wine tasters) are a fascinating examp...
