The section titled, “Stop Making Sense of the List,” accomplishes a much-needed debunking of arcane restaurant wine lists, while giving clear pointers about major signposts to watch for in, well, making sense of the huge variety of wine lists out there. I do disagree with her abjuration to order beer or a cocktail at a restaurant that only offers “boring wine.” (What if the only beer they offer is Bud Light? Beer can certainly be just as boring as wine.).

Another problem I had with this section is the implication that it’s better to know in advance, or to figure things out at the table without help, than to ask questions. Cochran supports sommeliers (as she should, being one herself) and reassures the reader that they can be trusted; however, the simple strategy of asking questions of one’s server appears late in the chapter and is not one of the primary options proposed in navigating a wine list. Cochran states that one should not feel at all reluctant to defend a specific price range and taste preferences; but rather than clearly stating taste and price constraints, she suggests “tip-offs” that can help a server understand one’s concerns indirectly. These “tip-offs” are clever, as is her suggestion to call ahead and speak to the sommelier in advance of dining to decide upon what wine should be served—but what’s wrong with just being straightforward—at the table—about one’s lack of knowledge and/or cash? Concealing both seems to me more of a male concern than a female one, since we are mostly concerned simply with getting something that will please us, while not overspending. We don’t order wine to impress anyone, and therefore we are not as concerned with concealing our limitations.

This brings me to the limitations of Cochran’s book. “Hip” is a word noted for its overuse, especially in advertising and pop culture. This overuse is exemplified in Hip Tastes, particularly in the introduction. Due to its endemic nature, hip is also a little tired now; and naturally, following upon the heels of being besieged with hipness, we are inundated with proclamations that the hipster is dead (as seen on recent covers of both New York Magazine and Time Out New York). Other elements of Cochran’s writing that are trying too hard to be current, while (ironically) being dated: references to a dislike of carbohydrates; phrases using “fab,” “bums me out,” and “corkscrew me”; and “Sex and the City”-influenced drawings of young, white, beautiful women dressed in sophisticated, expensive clothing. The art does suit the tone and content, but why are obviously white, young, beautiful, upper-middle-class individuals exclusively pictured? This feels at best exclusionary and at worst insulting to me, a minority woman who drinks a lot of wine but could certainly not afford that clothing or that fab pad.