Robin Goldstein
Encyclopedia
Robin Goldstein is an American author and food and wine critic. He is known for his offbeat academic papers questioning conventional wisdom in the food and wine industries, including a controversial exposé of Wine Spectator
magazine. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the Fearless Critic
restaurant guide series and the Wine Trials and Beer Trials books and writes for the New York Times' Freakonomics
blog.
Goldstein received a BA in Neuroscience and Philosophy from Harvard
in 1998 and a JD from Yale Law School
in 2002. He graduated from the French Culinary Institute
and the WSET
wine program.
, Goldstein revealed that in a hoax
exposé
, he had won a Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" for an imaginary restaurant, Osteria L'Intrepido. He created a fake website for the restaurant, submitted a reserve wine list of low-rated Italian wines along with the $250 entry fee, and won the award, which he sought to expose as a form of advertising. The hoax garnered worldwide press. Wine Spectator Editor-in-Chief Thomas Matthews responded on the magazine's web site. Stanley Fish of the New York Times compared Goldstein's exposé to the hoax by the physicist Alan Sokal, in which Sokal published an article full of gibberish in the cultural studies journal Social Text
.
Some wine critics and aficionados questioned Goldstein's conclusions, and a staff editorial in the Boston Globe criticized his findings.
Articles
Blog
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces...
magazine. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the Fearless Critic
Fearless Critic
Fearless Critic is a series of restaurant guides to US cities. The series was founded in 2003 and currently has eight restaurant guides—most notably Austin, Texas, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and New Haven,...
restaurant guide series and the Wine Trials and Beer Trials books and writes for the New York Times' Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
blog.
Goldstein received a BA in Neuroscience and Philosophy from Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1998 and a JD from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 2002. He graduated from the French Culinary Institute
French Culinary Institute
The French Culinary Institute , also known as The International Culinary Center has locations in SoHo, New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area of California....
and the WSET
Wine & Spirit Education Trust
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, often referred to as WSET, is a British organisation which arranges courses and exams in the field of wine and spirits. WSET was founded in 1969, is headquartered in London and is generally regarded as the world's leading provider of wine education. The courses...
wine program.
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence controversy
At the August 2008 conference of the American Association of Wine Economists in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Goldstein revealed that in a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
exposé
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
, he had won a Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" for an imaginary restaurant, Osteria L'Intrepido. He created a fake website for the restaurant, submitted a reserve wine list of low-rated Italian wines along with the $250 entry fee, and won the award, which he sought to expose as a form of advertising. The hoax garnered worldwide press. Wine Spectator Editor-in-Chief Thomas Matthews responded on the magazine's web site. Stanley Fish of the New York Times compared Goldstein's exposé to the hoax by the physicist Alan Sokal, in which Sokal published an article full of gibberish in the cultural studies journal Social Text
Social Text
Social Text is an academic journal published by Duke University Press. Since its inception as an independent editorial collective in 1979, Social Text has addressed a wide range of social and cultural phenomena, covering questions of gender, sexuality, race, and the environment...
.
The Wine Trials experiment
In May 2008, Goldstein revealed the results of an experiment that he conducted in which 500 subjects, in a blind taste test, preferred cheaper wine to more expensive wine. The results were published in an academic paper entitled "Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?" followed by a book entitled The Wine Trials.Some wine critics and aficionados questioned Goldstein's conclusions, and a staff editorial in the Boston Globe criticized his findings.
Works by Goldstein
Books- Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide, 4th Ed., WorkmanWorkman Publishing CompanyWorkman Publishing Company is a publisher of primarily non-fiction print and audio books along with calendars with annual sales of over US$25 million. Located in New York City, New York, USA, the publisher works under several imprints with offices located throughout the United States. Peter...
, 2011. - Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide, 3rd Ed., Workman, 2011.
- Fearless Critic San Antonio Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2011.
- Fearless Critic Dallas Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2011.
- Fearless Critic Seattle Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2010.
- The Beer Trials, Workman, 2010.
- Fearless Critic Portland Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2009.
- The Wine Trials 2010, Workman, 2009.
- Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide, 2nd Ed., Workman, 2009.
- Fearless Critic New Haven Restaurant Guide, 3rd Ed., Workman, 2009.
- Fearless Critic Washington DC Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2009.
- The Wine Trials, Workman, 2008.
- Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide, 2nd Ed., Workman, 2008.
- Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide, Workman, 2007.
- Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide, Off the Map Press, 2006.
- The Menu: New Haven Restaurant Guide, 2nd Ed., Off the Map Press, 2005.
- The Menu: Northampton, Amherst, and the Five-College Area Restaurant Guide,, Off the Map Press, 2004.
- The Menu: New Haven Restaurant Guide,, Off the Map Press, 2003.
Articles
Blog