Why are the majority of wine connoisseurs male?

Frank_T · August 7, 2009, 1:08am

Why are the majority of wine connoisseurs male?

Because our genitals are on the outside…

Cheers!

debbie_holm · August 7, 2009, 2:44am

It beats me!

Peter_Cargasacchi · August 7, 2009, 2:56am

Duh…! Quite obviously men are better equiped for pissing contests.

Poppy_Davis · August 7, 2009, 7:49am

Also keep in mind the money aspect of this hobby. Women still do not make as much money as men and we don’t have as much dough to feed this habit.

LMD_Ermitano · August 7, 2009, 9:29am

In the Philippines, the International Wine & Food Society has a separate branch for ladies. Occasionally, some of their officers/board members ask me about wine pairing and sourcing wines locally and I noticed their wine budgets are miniscule, virtually inexistent, as compared to that of the Philippine branch’s (of which I am a member).

I asked a few of them why this was so, and the standard reply to me was that women, especially mothers, know that there are much more important things to spend a lot of money on than wine.

They have a point.

M_Smith · August 7, 2009, 10:04am

connoisseur = an expert judge in matters of taste

If, in general, women have a more discerning palate, which I believe they do, then I question the original premise. Poppy makes a good point also. It takes fairly big bucks (and a rather obsessive disposition) to become intimately familiar with the world of wine.

ChrisBeacham · August 7, 2009, 12:11pm

The ex-wife would see 50 year-olds in their new sports cars and dismissively mumble “G*damn penis extenders.” There is a good bit of that going on in wine.

FWIW, she was an incredible taster. I’d be trying to identify a smell/taste and she’d sniff, say “oregano” and she’d be right. She lived in France a while, speaks fluently, adores French cooking and hates French wine – especially Bordeaux and Burgundy. I’d hand her a glass without comment or identification. All it took was one sniff for her and she’d give the glass back with a “Don’t give me that barnyard French crap. Don’t we have any Ridge Zin around here?”

I was very jealous of her tasting ability. Does anyone know if there is a difference in percentage of super-tasters between men and women?

Nola_Palomar · August 7, 2009, 12:28pm

Anthropologically speaking, men are the hunters and women are the gatherers. Ahhh who likes to shop til they drop? Men Buy, Women Shop.

Merrill_Lindquist · August 7, 2009, 3:46pm

In my mind I am saying, “Do not post, do not post.” But here goes. I think it has something to do with the way in which each gender turns their attention to a subject or task at hand.
Men seem to have a tendency to devote their “energy” (time, focus, physical presence) to one thing at a time. The typical woman is constantly multi-tasking, and doing it well. A woman can have a great palate and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine or going to a tasting, but when that “task” ends, she has already started or is mid-way through 6 other tasks. No time or interest at that point in looking up Cellartracker posts, WS or WA scores, writing a tasting note and possibly posting on it, or even at a minimum recording the winery name or vintage.
The baby can be crying, the cat looking in the door to come in, the phone ringing…and the male will take the time to indulge himself in the task at hand, rather than respond (as a female would) to the other intrusions. So, quick answer: the male takes the time to become a full-fledged wine geek, the female does not. Fire away.

Mark_Y · August 7, 2009, 4:06pm

Merrill Lindquist:

In my mind I am saying, “Do not post, do not post.” But here goes. I think it has something to do with the way in which each gender turns their attention to a subject or task at hand.
Men seem to have a tendency to devote their “energy” (time, focus, physical presence) to one thing at a time. The typical woman is constantly multi-tasking, and doing it well. A woman can have a great palate and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine or going to a tasting, but when that “task” ends, she has already started or is mid-way through 6 other tasks. No time or interest at that point in looking up Cellartracker posts, WS or WA scores, writing a tasting note and possibly posting on it, or even at a minimum recording the winery name or vintage.
The baby can be crying, the cat looking in the door to come in, the phone ringing…and the male will take the time to indulge himself in the task at hand, rather than respond (as a female would) to the other intrusions. So, quick answer: the male takes the time to become a full-fledged wine geek, the female does not. Fire away.

So are you saying, in other words, men can be great at something, where as women don’t have the mental capacity to be?

Bill_Tex_Landreth · August 7, 2009, 4:09pm

What Merrill said.

Merrill_Lindquist · August 7, 2009, 4:11pm

markye:

Merrill Lindquist:

In my mind I am saying, “Do not post, do not post.” But here goes. I think it has something to do with the way in which each gender turns their attention to a subject or task at hand.
Men seem to have a tendency to devote their “energy” (time, focus, physical presence) to one thing at a time. The typical woman is constantly multi-tasking, and doing it well. A woman can have a great palate and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine or going to a tasting, but when that “task” ends, she has already started or is mid-way through 6 other tasks. No time or interest at that point in looking up Cellartracker posts, WS or WA scores, writing a tasting note and possibly posting on it, or even at a minimum recording the winery name or vintage.
The baby can be crying, the cat looking in the door to come in, the phone ringing…and the male will take the time to indulge himself in the task at hand, rather than respond (as a female would) to the other intrusions. So, quick answer: the male takes the time to become a full-fledged wine geek, the female does not. Fire away.

So are you saying, in other words, men can be great at something, where as women don’t have the mental capacity to be?

There you go! You think that self-indulgence is “great!”

Terence_T-Bone_Livingston · August 7, 2009, 5:41pm

That’s what I’m talkin’ about. And if they’re not in the mood for wine, they won’t ponder the notion, they’ll just say “I’m gonna have a cocktail”, whereas men will think about what wine to have for hours, looking through their cellar, checking the vintage, recalling how it tasted the last time…and on, and on, and on. Wine does funny stuff to us dudes. I’m sure women joke about our wine habits as much as we joke about their shopping habits.

Sarah_Warner · August 7, 2009, 6:42pm

Very true, it’s quite endearing, actually.

Faryan_Amir-Ghassemi · August 7, 2009, 6:53pm

egotism/bragging rights.

Come to think of it, this hobby really doesn’t get me laid all that much. I should move onto sportscars and shopping…

Bruce_Leiser_owitz · August 7, 2009, 8:21pm

Well, if you’re going to collect and open baller bottles, don’t you have to have…?

Bruce

Chris_White · August 8, 2009, 5:39pm

Merrill Lindquist:

In my mind I am saying, “Do not post, do not post.” But here goes. I think it has something to do with the way in which each gender turns their attention to a subject or task at hand.
Men seem to have a tendency to devote their “energy” (time, focus, physical presence) to one thing at a time. The typical woman is constantly multi-tasking, and doing it well. A woman can have a great palate and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine or going to a tasting, but when that “task” ends, she has already started or is mid-way through 6 other tasks. No time or interest at that point in looking up Cellartracker posts, WS or WA scores, writing a tasting note and possibly posting on it, or even at a minimum recording the winery name or vintage.
The baby can be crying, the cat looking in the door to come in, the phone ringing…and the male will take the time to indulge himself in the task at hand, rather than respond (as a female would) to the other intrusions. So, quick answer: the male takes the time to become a full-fledged wine geek, the female does not. Fire away.

I agree. I think part of it has to do with the TIME involved to become and remain a “connoisseiur”. That’s time consuming! I know a lot of women who would love to learn more about wine and find it fascinating, but they are mothers or caregivers and don’t have the time or leftover energy to dedicate to this hobby. If a woman is raising a child, that is her priority and focus 24/7. For example, and I may be going out on a limb here, I think the majority of the women (not all mind you) who post on this board or attend offlines in this area, do not have children still living at home and are therefore more available to taste, study and focus on learning about wine. We have more time to dedicate to this hobby. And post on forums Yay!!!

Ken_V · August 8, 2009, 9:25pm

Merrill Lindquist:

In my mind I am saying, “Do not post, do not post.” But here goes. I think it has something to do with the way in which each gender turns their attention to a subject or task at hand.
Men seem to have a tendency to devote their “energy” (time, focus, physical presence) to one thing at a time. The typical woman is constantly multi-tasking, and doing it well. A woman can have a great palate and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine or going to a tasting, but when that “task” ends, she has already started or is mid-way through 6 other tasks. No time or interest at that point in looking up Cellartracker posts, WS or WA scores, writing a tasting note and possibly posting on it, or even at a minimum recording the winery name or vintage.
The baby can be crying, the cat looking in the door to come in, the phone ringing…and the male will take the time to indulge himself in the task at hand, rather than respond (as a female would) to the other intrusions. So, quick answer: the male takes the time to become a full-fledged wine geek, the female does not. Fire away.

Hi Merrill,

I’m glad you found some time to post here!

I think what you wrote matches up with the hunter vs. gatherer theories that others have posted. A sucessful gatherer/homemaker is a multitasker, while a successful hunter must be highly focused on one thing.

“Kill the Wabbit!”

Ken_V · August 8, 2009, 9:30pm

Here’s a tavern in Troy, NY, that still has a “Ladies Entrance”.
Of course, they don’t make the ladies use it any more. It’s just there for historical purposes.

Ken_V · August 8, 2009, 9:32pm

Though some don’t make much of a breeze, Bradley!