Vox Populi, Vox Dei

BY TOM FIRTH

Who’s right? Is it the voice of the public or the experts that really matter when it comes to what’s best in food and drink? For those who don’t speak Latin (I certainly don’t), “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” translates as “the voice of the people, is the voice of god”.

Think about any number of beverage reviewers, or even just the reviews if you use them, to guide your beverage purchases. Maybe you like to think you are quite knowledgeable and only drink 90+ point wines or maybe rush out at a moment’s notice and buy the Top 100 list from… the Spectator or whomever. Or perhaps you are craving a little more of the personal touch and choose your drinks based on the sommelier at the restaurant or the expert at the shop you buy from? First off, having a “source” who knows you and even better, knows your tastes, is the best way to go but what about all those other faceless organizations who try to be the arbiter of good taste?

Beverages are likely the worst culprit for breathless reviewers churning out 100 point reviews or influencers claiming the “best vintage ever” or a certain, possibly previously unknown region, brewery or distillery creating some nearly life-altering new thing that if you haven’t tried it, heard about it, or are in the know about it, you might be a lesser person. This is around in the food world too, but with a little less enthusiasm, and offset by more “players in the game” sharing insight into what’s good, and our need to eat several times a day over drinking alcohol, which could rarely be classified as a “need”.

But whose voice matters more? Is it the experts, tasked with finding the very best using years upon years of diligent learning and experience, or is it the voice of the people?

Balancing a subjective assessment objectively is difficult business. The best professional tasters compare their (hopefully) vast experience tasting similar bottles and extrapolate that to the current thing. Cabernet sauvignon for example was historically “greener” in flavour than it is today. Traditional examples were from cooler locations, and generally harvested earlier in the growing season with less ripeness – often in advance of potentially ruinous autumn rains. Armed with that knowledge, one can approach newer, riper bottlings from warmer climates with greater context. This of course is a gross oversimplification, but assessing these things are some of what makes the difference between being an enthusiast – and an expert.

On the other hand, the popular vote if you will, is really about what simply tastes good. Or resonates with the most people at this moment. An “Adam Sandler” movie is rarely going to represent the pinnacle of the filmmaker’s art, yet they consistently earn significant revenues at the box office or on streaming services, are watched by millions, and presumably these regular offerings are keeping Mr. Sandler well-stocked in Ferraris, yachts, or whatever it is that he enjoys spending his buckets of money on. I’d argue that most patrons of his films likely don’t really care what the experts have to say about those films.

For a different perspective, I asked food writer and columnist for CBC radio and the Calgary Herald (and frequent Culinaire contributor) Elizabeth Chorney-Booth for her take on the experts versus the people. According to her, “There's a common perception that all opinions about food or drink are subjective, but I don't believe that's true. An experienced professional should be able to set personal preference aside and evaluate a dish or restaurant's technical skill, creativity, balancing of flavours, sourcing of ingredients, ability to pair beverages, etc. on a fairly objective level.” Further adding that, “Experience lends a deeper depth of knowledge. Professionals have (likely) seen other examples of a specific cuisine or dish to compare something against.”

Even at the Alberta Beverage Awards, a drinks competition for which I have been the competition director since it’s inception, and in 2025 going into its 13th year, we go to great effort to find – and keep – judges that have the expertise to know what something should taste like, and still try to think if the consumer would still be well served by the example. Mary Bailey, from The Tomato magazine in Edmonton shares that, “The value of a well-run awards program cannot be underestimated. By that I mean one that recognizes that it captures a snapshot - what was available at that moment and in that market. Good judges assess a wine more objectively, a product may be outside their own palate but still has quality attributes.” But it’s worth noting that, “(good judges) are more interested in overall quality and perhaps less interested in trends.”

So perhaps, those experts might know what they are talking about, and are able to set aside personal preferences and say, “as these things go, fans of a particular style will be well served here”. But even these experts in their lofty towers need to be crucially aware of what is happening in the everyday world. Aside from Gordon Ramsay’s family, there probably aren’t many people who eat his food nearly everyday. Chorney-Booth calls this, “a reality check” adding, “It can be easy to get stuck in a bubble, and comparing notes with colleagues and also paying attention to what the public (who vote in greater numbers) like, is really important. I see it as a form of professional development.”

Professional development is a good way to look at it, but even knowing where tastes are heading is what being a professional is about. Who loves riesling the most?

Occasional wine drinkers at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, and wine nerds. Bailey additionally points out that, “People's Choice awards are similar, they highlight what people are liking at that moment. But rarely do people vote for something they are not familiar with or don’t drink.”

Though social media has given tremendous voice to all sides of any particular topic, it does also mean that sometimes it’s more about who is loudest rather than who is serious. Same too with online or posted reviews; at times it’s easy to figure out the fake reviews either from those not getting their way and trumpeting a bad experience or someone on the other end trying to prop up a middling thing with some glowing review that couldn’t be written with a straight face.

But Bailey, Chorney-Booth, and I, see reader and people’s choice awards as a complement to what the “professionals” are doing. It allows for more to earn those accolades and recognition that these great products or places need. And I’d daresay that the two - the people’s choice and the expert’s choice - are equally valid.