MAKING SENSE OF WINEGLASSES: "In 'Making Sense of Taste' [March], David V. Smith and Robert F. Margolskee debunk the myth of the tongue taste map. But how," wonders Steve Bower of San Francisco, "does this mesh with wine lovers' belief that different glasses will direct wine to different parts of the tongue to impart a richer flavor? Is this merely a scam based on flawed research and perpetuated by snobbery and stemware manufacturers? Thousands of bar and restaurant owners eagerly await an explanation."
Smith responds: "Depending on how the wine is distributed around the oral cavity, the access of volatiles to the nose via the retronasal route will vary. There are many flavors that folks recognize in wine--oak, fruitiness and so on--that are undoubtedly olfactory in origin."

Below, other fine notes regarding the March issue.

This article was originally published with the title Letters.

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