By way of preface: Drinking a memorable bottle of wine among friends, the question arose of trying to describe it. The image which came to mind was a cardinal in the fullness of his power -- shrewd, with a depth of political understanding and ambition, the sort of person who transmits, and embodies, much more than what is actually said outright if he is seated next to you over the course of a dinner.



What about wine justifies, or at least condones, this appeal to human imagery in description?

Lest you think this is an artifact of an affinity for analogies, I offer as more objective evidence Parker's list of the characteristics of great wine. (These are the general headings; he does go into further, somewhat colorful detail.)

--The ability to please both the palate and the intellect
--The ability to hold the taster's interest
--The ability of a wine to offer intense aromas and flavors without heaviness
--The ability of a wine to taste better with each sip
--The ability of a wine to improve with age
--The ability of a wine to offer a singular personality

With the exception of several words -- which one might even be able to alter without really changing the subject -- one could do much worse in describing the characteristics of a great person.

So the question is: Why this use of human language and human images to describe the encounter with wine? Why doesn't this happen with other foods -- taboo, perhaps?
Does it have something to do with wine's effect on us, wine's potential power?